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Peru 30 June, 2008 [ 20:30 ]
26 Peruvian companies participate in US gourmet food fair
A total of 26 Peruvian companies are participating in the Summer Fancy Food Show, one of the largest specialty food trade shows in the U.S, which began in New York on June 29 and is to last until July 1st, said today the Commission for the Promotion of Peruvian Exports and Tourism (PromPeru).This group of companies includes two consortium bringing together 12 companies of Cusco's Regional Bureau of Foreign Trade and Tourism (DIRCETUR) and four companies of San Martin's DIRCETUR.The Peruvian delegation shows a wide range consisting of snacks, jams, coffee, avocado oil and Sacha inchi, energy bars, chocolate, quinoa pops, quinoa flour, biscuits and cereal kiwicha, nick peeled and corn chullpi with yacon, among others.Asparagus, artichokes, as well as Peruvian vinaigrettes and sauces are also showcased during this US fair.The Summer Fancy Food Show receives about 32,000 trade visitors from department stores, supermarkets, restaurant chains and hotels as well as retailers and other businesses related to the sector.
News source: ANDINA
lunes, 30 de junio de 2008
Nuestro Pisco Sour
From AM New York
The Imbiber: Pisco Sours
Dan Dunn Special to amNewYork
Pisco sour (Katya Pronin)
My buddy Domingo is a Manhattan bartender who hails from Peru and swears by a viscous elixir he calls "aguardiente," or "firewater," better known as pisco.Domingo proudly proclaims his native country to be the rightful home of the pisco denomination, though there are plenty of folks from Chile who would no doubt emphatically disagree with that assessment.For as far as back as anyone can remember, these neighboring South American countries have argued over the origin of pisco, a delicate spirit distilled from Muscat-style grapes. Most Americans, however, could hardly care less -- they simply don't know pisco from Picchu (as in Machu, Peru's famed Lost City of the Incas).That wasn't always the case. From the late 1800s to the early 20th Century, the Pisco Sour and Pisco Punch were popular libations stateside, particularly in San Francisco, where South American miners settled during the Gold Rush.
When the gold disappeared so, for all intents and purposes, did the South American hootch. But now, thanks to the efforts of innovative barkeeps like Domingo, pisco is making a comeback at high-end watering holes on both coasts.One of the best brands I've come across is BarSol Pisco, made by Bodega San Isidro, one of the oldest and most traditional producers in Peru. Using a process that dates back 150 years, BarSol distills its brandy in copper Alambic stills much like the ones used to make cognac.The result is a clean, almost neutral-flavored spirit that is -- like vodka -- ideal for mixing cocktails. Don't tell that to pisco purists, though, many of whom believe it is heresy to consume the stuff any other way but neat.There are two varieties of BarSol
Pisco -- Quebranta (red label) and Acholado (blue label). The former is a non-aromatic style produced from a single grape varietal, ideal for making cocktails (see recipes); the blue label is an aromatic blend best served neat. BarSol Pisco retails for $19.99 a bottle. You can find it at Astor Wines & Spirits (399 Lafayette St.reet) and behind the bars at Tailor (525 Broome St.reet) and Highline Ballroom (431 W.est 16th St.reet).
Pisco Sour
2oz BarSol Pisco Quebranta
1oz fresh lime juice1oz simple syrup (sugar)
1/2 oz pasteurized egg white
A few drops of Angostura BittersPlace ice, pisco, lime juice, simple syrup, and egg white in a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a sours glass. Garnish with two2 drops of Angostura Bitters on top of the foam.
Pisco Punch
2oz BarSol Pisco Quebranta
1oz fresh lime juice
1oz simple syrup (sugar)
2 parts Dole pineapple juice
1 large ice cube or several small ice cubes in glassCherry for garnish
Place pisco, lime juice, simple syrup and pineapple juice in a cocktail shaker. Fill with cold water, stir. Serve in a highball glass and garnish with cherry.
Dan Dunn is the author of the book "Nobody Likes a Quitter (and other reasons to avoid rehab)," available at Amazon.com. He talks wine and spirits every Friday from noon to 1 pm on Channel 108 on Sirius Satellite Radio
The Imbiber: Pisco Sours
Dan Dunn Special to amNewYork
Pisco sour (Katya Pronin)
My buddy Domingo is a Manhattan bartender who hails from Peru and swears by a viscous elixir he calls "aguardiente," or "firewater," better known as pisco.Domingo proudly proclaims his native country to be the rightful home of the pisco denomination, though there are plenty of folks from Chile who would no doubt emphatically disagree with that assessment.For as far as back as anyone can remember, these neighboring South American countries have argued over the origin of pisco, a delicate spirit distilled from Muscat-style grapes. Most Americans, however, could hardly care less -- they simply don't know pisco from Picchu (as in Machu, Peru's famed Lost City of the Incas).That wasn't always the case. From the late 1800s to the early 20th Century, the Pisco Sour and Pisco Punch were popular libations stateside, particularly in San Francisco, where South American miners settled during the Gold Rush.
When the gold disappeared so, for all intents and purposes, did the South American hootch. But now, thanks to the efforts of innovative barkeeps like Domingo, pisco is making a comeback at high-end watering holes on both coasts.One of the best brands I've come across is BarSol Pisco, made by Bodega San Isidro, one of the oldest and most traditional producers in Peru. Using a process that dates back 150 years, BarSol distills its brandy in copper Alambic stills much like the ones used to make cognac.The result is a clean, almost neutral-flavored spirit that is -- like vodka -- ideal for mixing cocktails. Don't tell that to pisco purists, though, many of whom believe it is heresy to consume the stuff any other way but neat.There are two varieties of BarSol
Pisco -- Quebranta (red label) and Acholado (blue label). The former is a non-aromatic style produced from a single grape varietal, ideal for making cocktails (see recipes); the blue label is an aromatic blend best served neat. BarSol Pisco retails for $19.99 a bottle. You can find it at Astor Wines & Spirits (399 Lafayette St.reet) and behind the bars at Tailor (525 Broome St.reet) and Highline Ballroom (431 W.est 16th St.reet).
Pisco Sour
2oz BarSol Pisco Quebranta
1oz fresh lime juice1oz simple syrup (sugar)
1/2 oz pasteurized egg white
A few drops of Angostura BittersPlace ice, pisco, lime juice, simple syrup, and egg white in a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a sours glass. Garnish with two2 drops of Angostura Bitters on top of the foam.
Pisco Punch
2oz BarSol Pisco Quebranta
1oz fresh lime juice
1oz simple syrup (sugar)
2 parts Dole pineapple juice
1 large ice cube or several small ice cubes in glassCherry for garnish
Place pisco, lime juice, simple syrup and pineapple juice in a cocktail shaker. Fill with cold water, stir. Serve in a highball glass and garnish with cherry.
Dan Dunn is the author of the book "Nobody Likes a Quitter (and other reasons to avoid rehab)," available at Amazon.com. He talks wine and spirits every Friday from noon to 1 pm on Channel 108 on Sirius Satellite Radio
Museo de Arte Contemporaneo se construira en Cusco
Museum of Contemporary Art to be built in Cusco, Peru
The Archaeologists Association will start tomorrow the archaeological field survey of the land where the museum of the American Institute of Art (IAA) will be constructed, informed the head of this institution, Carlos Ruiz Caro.This museum would be located in an area close to the Archaeological Park of Sacsayhuaman (Cusco) and will be dedicated to Cusco’s contemporary art.Ruiz explained that IAA will finance part of project costs, while Peru’s National Institute of Culture (INC) would provide the proper staff members and logistics.Ruiz recalled that the area where the museum would be constructed was used by the Peruvian archaeologist Luis E. Valcárcel (1891-1987) to collect the relics he dug out from Sacsayhuaman for their respective research.Place with historyIAA representative said that “it wouldn’t be rare to find more objects. We might find new walls from the Incan construction in this area”, he said.He also said that the members of the IAA have programmed to “take over” the lands close to Sacsayhuaman in “a symbolic way”. This area was donated several years ago by an IAA member to the institution with the purpose to build a museum. However, the construction didn’t take place due to some problems between both parties.Ruiz added that IAA plans to build a museum that has every service available, such as an information center, a restaurant, and even a Sacsayhuaman on-site museum.
News source: ANDINA
The Archaeologists Association will start tomorrow the archaeological field survey of the land where the museum of the American Institute of Art (IAA) will be constructed, informed the head of this institution, Carlos Ruiz Caro.This museum would be located in an area close to the Archaeological Park of Sacsayhuaman (Cusco) and will be dedicated to Cusco’s contemporary art.Ruiz explained that IAA will finance part of project costs, while Peru’s National Institute of Culture (INC) would provide the proper staff members and logistics.Ruiz recalled that the area where the museum would be constructed was used by the Peruvian archaeologist Luis E. Valcárcel (1891-1987) to collect the relics he dug out from Sacsayhuaman for their respective research.Place with historyIAA representative said that “it wouldn’t be rare to find more objects. We might find new walls from the Incan construction in this area”, he said.He also said that the members of the IAA have programmed to “take over” the lands close to Sacsayhuaman in “a symbolic way”. This area was donated several years ago by an IAA member to the institution with the purpose to build a museum. However, the construction didn’t take place due to some problems between both parties.Ruiz added that IAA plans to build a museum that has every service available, such as an information center, a restaurant, and even a Sacsayhuaman on-site museum.
News source: ANDINA
sábado, 28 de junio de 2008
48 Horas en Lima
48 hours in Lima, Peru
Reuters
LIMA - Got 48 hours to explore Lima? Long considered just a stopover on the way to the famous Inca ruins at Machu Picchu, Lima has emerged as a destination spot of its own in recent years.
Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help visitors get the most from a weekend visit in the Peruvian capital:
FRIDAY
4 p.m. - No time to lose. Get in touch with Lima's humble roots by going to the market in Chorrillos, where you can buy fish fresh off the boat. Meander around the wharf, which looks delightfully out of place in the middle of a major city.
6 p.m. - Grab a coffee at Cafe Haiti (160 Avenida Diagonal, Miraflores), a cool cafe that overlooks Kennedy Park, smack in the center of Miraflores madness. People watch as you sip your drink and ponder the cafe's slogan, printed on purple coasters: "Business and Love." Wander the side streets to look for little houses pulled straight from the nostalgic novels of Mario Vargas Llosa.
8 p.m. - Take advantage of Lima's gastronomic renaissance by dining at one of the city's finest restaurants -- Cala, a sophisticated seaside joint with great views of the water (Circuito de playas Costa Verde, Playa Barranquito, Barranco). It's sleek, trendy, but not in-your-face about its coolness. The menu is contemporary, specializing in seafood and fish.
SATURDAY
9 a.m. - Rise and shine. For breakfast, pop into Las Delicias juice bar and order a drink made from one of the exotic, tropical fruits typical of the region (across the street from La Mar 770, Miraflores). Granadilla and lucuma, which locals say only grows in Peru, are classics.
11 a.m. - Grab a taxi and head downtown. Get out at Plaza Mayor and watch the changing of the guard, a bizarrely formal affair with marching toy-like soldiers. Push past the requisite horde of tennis-shoed tourists and pop your head in at the Cathedral of Lima, where Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro is said to have laid the first stone.
1 p.m. - Walk to the San Francisco Church, known for its catacombs. Take a tour to go underground and see the dry bones and skulls of some 70,000 people, arranged in artistic circles.
3 p.m. - Head to the Museum of the Inquisition to learn about torture techniques. Waterboarding, which has come under recent attack in the United States, was a common practice at the time, especially for women, as it was considered a "kinder" way to extract information. The wax-like, human-size models leave little to the imagination.
5 p.m. - Time to relax. Head to Hotel Bolivar, the elegant, blue-velvet hotel that reigns over Plaza San Martin (Jiron de la Union 958; http://www.granhotelbolivarperu.com/). Try Peru's national drink -- the pisco sour, a frothy, egg, brandy concoction that packs a serious punch, but goes down smooth.
8 p.m. - For dinner, head to Astrid y Gaston, the flagship restaurant of Chef Gaston Acurio (Calle Cantuarias 175, Miraflores; http://www.astridygaston.com). The food is excellent and Gaston is something of a celebrity, famous for turning foodies onto the gamut of Peruvian cuisine.
11 p.m. - Don't turn in. Go dancing! Head to El Dragon (Nicolas de Pierola 168, Barranco), a hip fusion club that attracts a young crowd. Or, slide on your fancy shoes and mix with the beautiful people at Gotica, an upscale club in LarcoMar, the seaside mall in Miraflores (Malecon de la Reserva 610, Miraflores; http://www.gotica.com.pe/).
SUNDAY
6 a.m. - Surf's up! If you are an energetic early bird, stroll down the cobblestone walkway of the Bajada Balta to the beach. Rent a surfboard and wetsuit to insulate yourself from the chilly Pacific Ocean. Brave the consistently good waves that offer some of the best surfing of any big city. Ignore the people who say the water is polluted.
10 a.m. - Late risers can greet the morning by going for a leisurely walk along the ocean-front parks in Miraflores, perched atop steep cliffs. Alternatively, if you want a truly bird's-eye view, hop on a paragliding tandem flight. Pass through "Love Park" where couples of all ages gather to cuddle and coo like teenagers.
Noon - Political buffs should hop over to the National Museum to check out the display on the Maoist Shining Path guerrillas who destabilized the country in the 1980s and 1990s before the rise of the autocratic President Alberto Fujimori, who now stands trial on charges of human rights abuses.
1 p.m. - A trip to Peru is not complete without trying ceviche, a classic seafood dish, originally eaten by the Incans, served with a spicy citrus sauce that both gives the fish flavor and "cooks" it. Try the unassuming but tasty Punto Azul (Benavides 2711, Miraflores).
2 p.m. - Time to shop. Head to the arts and crafts market in Miraflores to burn whatever might be left of your soles, Peru's currency. Spend time poking around the maze of small stalls to find the handicrafts you want to take home.
4 p.m. - Though you might not have time to visit the Inca ruins at Machu Picchu in southwest Peru or any of the other archeological wonders that line the coast, the ruins at Huaca Pucllana are just a stones throw from downtown Lima. Explore ongoing excavations and the zoo. Finally, relax and take in the sunset with your cocktail at the striking on-site restaurant (Arequipa 4698, Miraflores; http://www.resthuacapucllana.com)
(Reporting by Dana Ford and Terry Wade; Editing by Patricia Reaney)
Empresa Inglesa Maple Energy Inc busca explotar etanol en Piura, Peru
Maple steps up Peruvian ethanol project
Filed from Singapore 6/26/2008 2:37:05 PM GMT
LONDON: UK-listed Maple Energy plc sealed two contracts with Praj Industries Ltd. and Siemens to secure the supply of key equipment for its ethanol project in the Piura Region on the northwest coast of Peru.
Praj will supply Maple US$10 million worth of equipment from the first half of 2009. The fermentation, distillation, and dehydration equipment will be capable of producing 400,000 litres (105,600 gallons) of ethanol a day.
Siemens will supply Maple the power generation equipment required for the ethanol project. Maple will pay about US$8 million for the fabrication and supply of a steam turbine, generator, and related equipment which is expected to produce 37 MW of electricity. Deliveries are scheduled from the second half of 2009.
Meanwhile, Maple has also cleared about 700 hectares (1,230 acres) of its 10,676-hectare (26,381-acre) estate in Peru. The UK company expects to clear the balance of the land by mid 2009. About 8,000 hectares (19,768 acres) of the land cleared will be used to grow sugar cane and for other business activities related to the ethanol project.
Maple has also started the development of a secondary seed cane farm which is located on the main estate and will be planted primarily with seed cane produced at Maple's La Huaca seed cane farm. About 300 hectares (741 acres) will be planted with sugar cane on this secondary farm in order to produce additional seed cane for the development of Maple's commercial operation on its main estate.
Filed from Singapore 6/26/2008 2:37:05 PM GMT
LONDON: UK-listed Maple Energy plc sealed two contracts with Praj Industries Ltd. and Siemens to secure the supply of key equipment for its ethanol project in the Piura Region on the northwest coast of Peru.
Praj will supply Maple US$10 million worth of equipment from the first half of 2009. The fermentation, distillation, and dehydration equipment will be capable of producing 400,000 litres (105,600 gallons) of ethanol a day.
Siemens will supply Maple the power generation equipment required for the ethanol project. Maple will pay about US$8 million for the fabrication and supply of a steam turbine, generator, and related equipment which is expected to produce 37 MW of electricity. Deliveries are scheduled from the second half of 2009.
Meanwhile, Maple has also cleared about 700 hectares (1,230 acres) of its 10,676-hectare (26,381-acre) estate in Peru. The UK company expects to clear the balance of the land by mid 2009. About 8,000 hectares (19,768 acres) of the land cleared will be used to grow sugar cane and for other business activities related to the ethanol project.
Maple has also started the development of a secondary seed cane farm which is located on the main estate and will be planted primarily with seed cane produced at Maple's La Huaca seed cane farm. About 300 hectares (741 acres) will be planted with sugar cane on this secondary farm in order to produce additional seed cane for the development of Maple's commercial operation on its main estate.
BPZ Resources Inc busca empresa Peruana para explotacion de petroleo y gas
BPZ Resources, Shell seek Peruvian joint venture
BPZ Resources, Shell in talks to form joint venture in Peru, BPZ Resources shares soar
June 26, 2008: 11:35 AM EST
NEW YORK (Associated Press) - Shares of BPZ Resources Inc. soared Thursday after the oil and gas exploration and production company said it is in talks with a unit of Royal Dutch Shell PLC about jointly developing properties in Peru.
Under terms of a memorandum of understanding signed by BPZ and Shell Exploration Co., the companies agreed to negotiate terms of a so-called farmout agreement whereby Shell may earn a stake in three northwestern Peru properties that are believed to hold significant crude oil and natural gas reserves.
The memorandum envisions a joint venture in which Shell pays BPZ, collects seismic data on the parts of the properties, or blocks, and drills wells. A spokesman for BPZ said some of the properties are off Peru's coast.
The goal of the negotiations, expected to conclude this year, is "large-scale oil and gas ventures, including regional power generation, gas supply for local and regional industry, and (liquid natural gas)."
Shares of BPZ rose $3.41, or 13.8 percent, to $27.80 in midday trading.
BPZ Resources, Shell in talks to form joint venture in Peru, BPZ Resources shares soar
June 26, 2008: 11:35 AM EST
NEW YORK (Associated Press) - Shares of BPZ Resources Inc. soared Thursday after the oil and gas exploration and production company said it is in talks with a unit of Royal Dutch Shell PLC about jointly developing properties in Peru.
Under terms of a memorandum of understanding signed by BPZ and Shell Exploration Co., the companies agreed to negotiate terms of a so-called farmout agreement whereby Shell may earn a stake in three northwestern Peru properties that are believed to hold significant crude oil and natural gas reserves.
The memorandum envisions a joint venture in which Shell pays BPZ, collects seismic data on the parts of the properties, or blocks, and drills wells. A spokesman for BPZ said some of the properties are off Peru's coast.
The goal of the negotiations, expected to conclude this year, is "large-scale oil and gas ventures, including regional power generation, gas supply for local and regional industry, and (liquid natural gas)."
Shares of BPZ rose $3.41, or 13.8 percent, to $27.80 in midday trading.
Exportaciones del Peru subieron record 31% en Mayo!
Peruvian Exports Surged 31% to Record in May on Copper, Gold
By Alex Emery
June 26 (Bloomberg) -- Peru's exports rose 31 percent to a record in May on surging sales of sales of copper, gold and natural gas.
The Andean country's exports rose to $2.8 billion in May from a year ago, the government's export promotion agency Promperu said in an e-mailed statement.
Copper sales rose 54 percent to a record $828 million, while gold rose 31 percent and gas jumped 69 percent.
To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Emery in Lima at aemery1@bloomberg.net.
By Alex Emery
June 26 (Bloomberg) -- Peru's exports rose 31 percent to a record in May on surging sales of sales of copper, gold and natural gas.
The Andean country's exports rose to $2.8 billion in May from a year ago, the government's export promotion agency Promperu said in an e-mailed statement.
Copper sales rose 54 percent to a record $828 million, while gold rose 31 percent and gas jumped 69 percent.
To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Emery in Lima at aemery1@bloomberg.net.
Quedan maravillados por Machu Picchu
Saturday June 28, 2008
Amazing Machu Picchu
By JOLEEN LUNJEW
Imagine getting the chance to wander around the ruins of a lost ancient civilisation — it’s an extraordinary experience.
The trek up the narrow dirt path to the Lost City of the Incas was long and tiring, but Lee Chooi Peng wasn’t fazed. In fact, she was excited at the prospect of coming face to face with a place that she had only seen in postcards and pictures.
“I wasn’t tired at all. It was one of the best moments in my life as I was about to see Machu Picchu for myself. No more looking at postcards and wishing I was there.
“I was living the life!” says the 24-year-old stock controller, whose entry in Great Eastern’s Live100percent online contest won her the chance to experience a trek up to Machu Picchu, Peru.
The campaign rewards Great Eastern policyholders by giving them 52 different experiences, one a week, including driving on the Nurburgring F1 Circuit in Germany, living with gorillas in Uganda, undergoing aerial combat training in Phoenix, Arizona, whale-watching in Argentina and visiting the Himalayas in Nepal.
For her reward, Lee was allowed to bring a travelmate, so she chose her mother, Kiaw Tong Kui, 44.
“It was just amazing. That was the first time I went overseas. It was my first passport and the first time I’ve been in a plane or train for so many hours. I was so excited and happy to see all the places that I’d only known through pictures and TV,” says Lee excitedly.
Lee’s adventure began in the city of Cuzco, where she visited several historical sights to learn about the people who lived there and the legends behind the structures.
“I remember this story of an ancient ritual our tour guide told us, which disturbed me. We were at the ruins of a temple in Tambonachay, and our guide brought us to a place where they sacrificed babies to the God of the Sky.
“Newborns were given a drink that induced sleep and they would then be buried alive. Once the baby was dead, they would be dug up and mummified to be placed in holes in the wall overlooking the sacrificial site.
“Apparently, mothers willingly sacrificed their newborns in order to bring rain for the crops. It was considered an honour to be chosen, and their sacrifice would benefit the entire community.
“I could see the holes where the mummified babies placed but the authorities had taken them away to a museum.
“I felt a chill run down my spine when I heard that and felt that it was just so cruel that a life which had been nurtured with loving care for nine months could be given away just like that,” says Lee.
A visit to Saqsaywaman was next, a place where mannequins in traditional costumes are hung from the trees.
“I thought it was an odd way to showcase their tradition but I guess it served the purpose as everybody got to see them. We visited a fortress and more ruins where there was a rock which was exceptionally cold compared to the others. It is believed that it was used as an operation table.
“Our guide told us that when an animal was sacrificed, they would look at where the blood flowed. To the left meant something good would happen and if it flowed to the right, it was a bad omen,” explains Lee.
Lee and her mother took an early, three-hour train ride to Machu Picchu the next morning. They zig-zagged up the mountain to the foot of Machu Picchu where they stopped to browse at a bazaar selling local crafts made from Alpaca fleece such as hats, hand-woven bags, shawls and clothing.
Another 15-minute bus ride and a 20-minute walk later, they reached the peak where they got an aerial view of the Lost City.
“It was so beautiful. I met a Western tourist who said that this was his fifth visit and I saw someone in crutches making the climb as well. Machu Picchu must be exceptionally special if they wanted to visit it so many times. I could see why now. It is magnificent,” recalls Lee.
After taking pictures from the peak, Lee descended into the city.
“I felt a shiver as I approached the entrance. The city has about 200 buildings, mostly residences, although there are temples, storage structures and other public buildings.
“We were allowed to explore the ruins but had to be careful in certain areas as the buildings were fragile.
“I was amazed at the structures as they were constructed out of granite blocks of various sizes that fitted perfectly without mortar. The joints are so tight that even the thinnest blade couldn’t be forced between the stones.
“It made me wonder how these people could have achieved such architectural genius when we, with our modern building materials and tools, still make so many mistakes.
“Our guide explained to us the significance of each building and told us a bit about how the Incans lived in those days.
“We explored the temples, touched the ceremonial stones, marvelled at the ingenious crop terraces, placed our hands in the prison holds, and appreciated the natural boulder shaped like a mountain range behind it.
“There was a work area which had circular stones jutting out from the wall. Back in those days, each worker was given a rope to tie around the stone for each day he worked. Their salaries were calculated based on the number of knots around the stone. Imagine if we used that system now. I’m sure there would be a lot of cheating involved!
“There were a few animals wandering around as well. The most common ones were the llama and alpaca, used for meat and prized for their fleece. We even saw a rabbit that our guide said was a permanent resident at a particular rock. She said that it was always there every time she visited,” says Lee.
Next day, Lee and her mum took a leisurely train ride to the town of Puno, passing the Andean mountain range along the meandering Huatanay River.
“The water looked so clear and refreshing that I wanted to go down and touch it. The mountains were so beautiful and the desert was something new and interesting to me. I was so fascinated with the tumble weeds rolling across the desert. The scene was just like out of a cowboy movie!” exclaims Lee.
“Another fascinating sight was of the traders selling their wares on the side of and even on the tracks themselves!
“I was in the last open-air carriage and watched in amazement as the traders coolly crossed the tracks just seconds after the train had passed. Our guide told us that there was only one train coming through a day so I guess it’s not that dangerous,” adds Lee.
The trip proved to be seven amazing days for Lee and her mum, an experience both of them will never forget.
“I am so glad I had the opportunity to go to Machu Picchu. The adventure was truly something, the memories priceless. I wonder where my next trip will be,” smiles Lee.
Amazing Machu Picchu
By JOLEEN LUNJEW
Imagine getting the chance to wander around the ruins of a lost ancient civilisation — it’s an extraordinary experience.
The trek up the narrow dirt path to the Lost City of the Incas was long and tiring, but Lee Chooi Peng wasn’t fazed. In fact, she was excited at the prospect of coming face to face with a place that she had only seen in postcards and pictures.
“I wasn’t tired at all. It was one of the best moments in my life as I was about to see Machu Picchu for myself. No more looking at postcards and wishing I was there.
“I was living the life!” says the 24-year-old stock controller, whose entry in Great Eastern’s Live100percent online contest won her the chance to experience a trek up to Machu Picchu, Peru.
The campaign rewards Great Eastern policyholders by giving them 52 different experiences, one a week, including driving on the Nurburgring F1 Circuit in Germany, living with gorillas in Uganda, undergoing aerial combat training in Phoenix, Arizona, whale-watching in Argentina and visiting the Himalayas in Nepal.
For her reward, Lee was allowed to bring a travelmate, so she chose her mother, Kiaw Tong Kui, 44.
“It was just amazing. That was the first time I went overseas. It was my first passport and the first time I’ve been in a plane or train for so many hours. I was so excited and happy to see all the places that I’d only known through pictures and TV,” says Lee excitedly.
Lee’s adventure began in the city of Cuzco, where she visited several historical sights to learn about the people who lived there and the legends behind the structures.
“I remember this story of an ancient ritual our tour guide told us, which disturbed me. We were at the ruins of a temple in Tambonachay, and our guide brought us to a place where they sacrificed babies to the God of the Sky.
“Newborns were given a drink that induced sleep and they would then be buried alive. Once the baby was dead, they would be dug up and mummified to be placed in holes in the wall overlooking the sacrificial site.
“Apparently, mothers willingly sacrificed their newborns in order to bring rain for the crops. It was considered an honour to be chosen, and their sacrifice would benefit the entire community.
“I could see the holes where the mummified babies placed but the authorities had taken them away to a museum.
“I felt a chill run down my spine when I heard that and felt that it was just so cruel that a life which had been nurtured with loving care for nine months could be given away just like that,” says Lee.
A visit to Saqsaywaman was next, a place where mannequins in traditional costumes are hung from the trees.
“I thought it was an odd way to showcase their tradition but I guess it served the purpose as everybody got to see them. We visited a fortress and more ruins where there was a rock which was exceptionally cold compared to the others. It is believed that it was used as an operation table.
“Our guide told us that when an animal was sacrificed, they would look at where the blood flowed. To the left meant something good would happen and if it flowed to the right, it was a bad omen,” explains Lee.
Lee and her mother took an early, three-hour train ride to Machu Picchu the next morning. They zig-zagged up the mountain to the foot of Machu Picchu where they stopped to browse at a bazaar selling local crafts made from Alpaca fleece such as hats, hand-woven bags, shawls and clothing.
Another 15-minute bus ride and a 20-minute walk later, they reached the peak where they got an aerial view of the Lost City.
“It was so beautiful. I met a Western tourist who said that this was his fifth visit and I saw someone in crutches making the climb as well. Machu Picchu must be exceptionally special if they wanted to visit it so many times. I could see why now. It is magnificent,” recalls Lee.
After taking pictures from the peak, Lee descended into the city.
“I felt a shiver as I approached the entrance. The city has about 200 buildings, mostly residences, although there are temples, storage structures and other public buildings.
“We were allowed to explore the ruins but had to be careful in certain areas as the buildings were fragile.
“I was amazed at the structures as they were constructed out of granite blocks of various sizes that fitted perfectly without mortar. The joints are so tight that even the thinnest blade couldn’t be forced between the stones.
“It made me wonder how these people could have achieved such architectural genius when we, with our modern building materials and tools, still make so many mistakes.
“Our guide explained to us the significance of each building and told us a bit about how the Incans lived in those days.
“We explored the temples, touched the ceremonial stones, marvelled at the ingenious crop terraces, placed our hands in the prison holds, and appreciated the natural boulder shaped like a mountain range behind it.
“There was a work area which had circular stones jutting out from the wall. Back in those days, each worker was given a rope to tie around the stone for each day he worked. Their salaries were calculated based on the number of knots around the stone. Imagine if we used that system now. I’m sure there would be a lot of cheating involved!
“There were a few animals wandering around as well. The most common ones were the llama and alpaca, used for meat and prized for their fleece. We even saw a rabbit that our guide said was a permanent resident at a particular rock. She said that it was always there every time she visited,” says Lee.
Next day, Lee and her mum took a leisurely train ride to the town of Puno, passing the Andean mountain range along the meandering Huatanay River.
“The water looked so clear and refreshing that I wanted to go down and touch it. The mountains were so beautiful and the desert was something new and interesting to me. I was so fascinated with the tumble weeds rolling across the desert. The scene was just like out of a cowboy movie!” exclaims Lee.
“Another fascinating sight was of the traders selling their wares on the side of and even on the tracks themselves!
“I was in the last open-air carriage and watched in amazement as the traders coolly crossed the tracks just seconds after the train had passed. Our guide told us that there was only one train coming through a day so I guess it’s not that dangerous,” adds Lee.
The trip proved to be seven amazing days for Lee and her mum, an experience both of them will never forget.
“I am so glad I had the opportunity to go to Machu Picchu. The adventure was truly something, the memories priceless. I wonder where my next trip will be,” smiles Lee.
viernes, 27 de junio de 2008
Pisco gana nueve medallas en competencia en Francia
Peru's pisco wins nine medals at spirits competition in Paris, France
Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz
After pisco companies brought home nine international medals from Europe, it was confirmed that Peru's most famous and promoted brandy had been awarded internationally once again. Pisco, the Andean country's fine liquor distilled from grapes, won three gold and six silver medals at this year's Vinalies Internationales 2008, an international spirits and wine tasting competition held in Paris.Peruvian pisco companies such as "Finca Rotondo" - Acholado, "Finca Rotondo" - Mosto Verde and "Ocucaje" - Gota Italia won gold medals at the competition.Silver medals were awarded to "Ocucaje" – Puro Quebranta, "Ocucaje" - 100 años Mosto Verde Italia, "Pisco Vargas" – Acholado Reserva Privada Puro de Ica, "Tres Generaciones", "Finca Rotondo" – Italia and "Botija" – Pisco Italia.In addition, Peru's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs awarded the companies with certificates recognizing their effort in producing the country's highest quality pisco.He affirmed that the medals were more evidence of the world-renowned caliber of the Peruvian spirit.The Vice Minister also noted the success of pisco during the London International Wine Fair and Distil, in which Peru setup a stand called "Pisco is Peru".
Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz
After pisco companies brought home nine international medals from Europe, it was confirmed that Peru's most famous and promoted brandy had been awarded internationally once again. Pisco, the Andean country's fine liquor distilled from grapes, won three gold and six silver medals at this year's Vinalies Internationales 2008, an international spirits and wine tasting competition held in Paris.Peruvian pisco companies such as "Finca Rotondo" - Acholado, "Finca Rotondo" - Mosto Verde and "Ocucaje" - Gota Italia won gold medals at the competition.Silver medals were awarded to "Ocucaje" – Puro Quebranta, "Ocucaje" - 100 años Mosto Verde Italia, "Pisco Vargas" – Acholado Reserva Privada Puro de Ica, "Tres Generaciones", "Finca Rotondo" – Italia and "Botija" – Pisco Italia.In addition, Peru's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs awarded the companies with certificates recognizing their effort in producing the country's highest quality pisco.He affirmed that the medals were more evidence of the world-renowned caliber of the Peruvian spirit.The Vice Minister also noted the success of pisco during the London International Wine Fair and Distil, in which Peru setup a stand called "Pisco is Peru".
Botas Incas son gran exito de Empresa en Texas, EEUU
PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 23, 2008 – CONTACT: Evan Streusand Inca Boot Company 512-567-8738 press@incaboots.com http://www.IncaBoots.com
Unique is Chic for Inca Boot Company
The Inca Boot Company, based in Austin, TX, has introduced a new line of handcrafted, Peruvian boots with every pair being completely unique. Inca Boots are handcrafted from local, sustainable materials in Cusco, Peru, once the capital of the Incan Empire. In contrast to the mass produced items usually found in clothing stores, Inca Boot Company has embraced the idea that no two pairs will ever be the same. This philosophy stems from founder Evan Streusand’s long held belief in individuality and personal expression. Streusand also believes in fair trade and social entrepreneurship, and hopes that his boots can help continue to boost the market trend for socially conscious fashion alternatives. Streusand was traveling through South America in 2004 looking for new experiences and inspiration. While in Cusco, he was urged by a friend to visit a tiny shop whose proprietor designed Inca-inspired boots. Wary at first, he told his friend, "I'm from Texas and I don’t even wear boots." He went with her anyway and after meeting the bootmaker and seeing his work, Streusand quickly changed his tune. He bought a pair on the spot, a pair he still wears to this day. He formed a bond with the craftsman, whom he reverently refers to as "La Bota Grande" and the two stayed in touch. In 2007, Streusand returned to Cusco with the notion of bringing this artist's creations to the American marketplace and the duo teamed up to form the Inca Boot Company. Inca Boots are handmade from natural materials local to Peru. The outsides are made of suede, dyed with vibrant colors and are inset with Alpaca fur that is hand-woven into traditional Incan patters by Peruvian women. The insides have a thin layer of soft sheepskin to provide ideal comfort. The Inca Boot Company works closely with the original artisans, negotiating fair prices and helping to lift the local economy of Cusco, Peru and its environs. Inca Boots are available in four different colors with two styles - short and tall. They can be found at boutique clothing stores and online at www.IncaBoots.com with retail prices at $210 for the short style and $260 for the tall boots. About Inca Boot Company Inca Boot Company was founded in 2007 by Evan Streusand in an effort to bring unique, handcrafted boots to the American market. Inca Boots are made from local, sustainable materials in Cusco, Peru - once the capital of the Incan Empire. For more information, visit http://www.IncaBoots.com
jueves, 26 de junio de 2008
Pisco: bebida historica del Oeste de los EEUU
The cocktail divide: West Coast and East Coast cocktail cultures couldn't be more different - right?
Gary Regan, Special to The Chronicle
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Like true sons and daughters of the hippie generation, the young bartenders of San Francisco tend toward organic cocktails filled with homegrown this and hand-fed that. Their creative juices are sweetened only with the pure agave nectar.
Back east in New York City, the progeny of Wall Streeters hold forth from behind the ivy-covered bars of the Big Apple. They seem to enjoy reinventing drinks that have been with us for a century at the very least, adding a drop of this, a dash of that, changing, perhaps, just one ingredient to bring the drink into the 21st century.
You simply can't get a classic cocktail in San Francisco, and if you go to New York you'll find nothing but.
Unless I'm wrong, of course ...
Although more than a few American cities boast great cocktailian bartenders, these two are often considered the leaders of modern American mixology, and each has its own vocal set of partisans. Since I've been listening to generalizations about East and West Coast bartenders for some time now, I think it's about time we set the record straight. First, I should probably point out that I've listened to similar comparisons between British and American bartenders, I've heard bartenders in Paris talk about their German counterparts, and believe it or not I've been privy to discussions about the merits of Slovakian bartenders compared to the guys who mix drinks in the Czech Republic.
Let's start out with a simple truth: All bartenders are created equal. Where they go from there is a matter of individual choice, and although certain styles most definitely emerge in specific locations - more on this in just a bit - there are bartenders who embrace their hometown fashions, and there are bartenders who shun them.
Now, let's get into some specifics.
Toby Maloney, a New York bartender who is currently the head mixologist at the Violet Hour in Chicago, muses that the cocktail scene today is much like the culinary landscape of a couple decades ago. "The East Coast is rooted in tradition - (and) by that I mean it is more conservative - where the West Coast is more experimental," he says. "I think that the bartenders in San Francisco are a little, well, nicer. We can have some serious attitude (in New York). You got a problem with that?"
Jacques Bezuidenhout, a man who has worked behind many of the finest cocktail bars in San Francisco, best sums up the general feeling I get from most, though certainly not all, of the city's bartenders who I asked about their style of creating drinks.
"I think we tend to look toward fresh ingredients," he says, adding that many San Francisco bartenders work closely with the kitchen to get their fruits, herbs and fresh produce - something found in abundance out west. "I think the trend started in the kitchen with the likes of Alice Waters and then over the years moved to the bar," he says. Good point, Jacques.
We also have to consider the fact that bartenders are wont to travel, so some New York quirks tend to make their way west, and our bartenders take some of their West Coast idiosyncrasies back east.
Pros with eggs and ice
Greg Lindgren, bartender and co-owner of Rye, says that last time he was in New York he learned a lot from talking to the bartenders at Little Branch and Death & Co. "New York (bartenders) handle eggs and ice better than I do," he noted. And Toby Cecchini, the New Yorker who is generally recognized as the creator of the cosmopolitan as we know it (Cheryl Cooke, a Miami bartender, came up with the concept, Toby ran with it) has noticed some bartenders in New York "doing lychee this and shiso that," ingredients that are far more commonplace behind bars in San Francisco. "With so much media attention focused on bartenders and bartending in general, I find things are beginning to blend together a bit more," he says.
Bartenders don't merely visit other cities, though. Sometimes they pull a few shifts while they're there. Thomas Waugh, for instance, the creator of some very serious cocktails who can usually be found shaking and stirring at San Francisco's Alembic, recently did a guest stint at New York's Death & Co., a speakeasy-style joint that's known for killer cocktails. And Phil Ward, the big cheese bartender at Death & Co, took Waugh's place behind the stick at Alembic.
When asked about the differences between bars on both coasts, Waugh said that cocktails on the West Coast might have been heavy on the citrus side about five years ago, but that's no longer true. Remember, this is the view of an individual, and although most of Waugh's drinks are not citrus-heavy, there are Bay Area bartenders very willing to take the opposing point of view. That doesn't make Waugh categorically wrong, though, and he makes a good point when he notes that the major difference between drinks on opposing coasts could be that the citrus fruits available to Californians are of better quality than the limes and lemons that the good folk back east can get their hands on.
"Don't take this the wrong way," he pleaded. "I loved working at Death & Co."
Geography or history?
Ward, on the other hand, thinks that the biggest difference in bars out west lies in the expectations of the customers. "San Franciscans tend to want to know where the ingredients in a cocktail come from in a geographic sense, whereas New Yorkers are more interested in where they came from historically," he says. It's an interesting take on both coasts' cultures, I guess, and I'll bet that Ward isn't the first bartender to notice this - traveling far and wide in order to learn the craft isn't an entirely new phenomenon.
New York-born bartending pioneer Jerry Thomas, for instance, held forth from behind the mahogany in San Francisco during the days of the Gold Rush, and he tended bar in Charleston, Chicago and a few other cities before returning to the Empire State.
Rival bartenders
Thomas' main rival, Harry Johnson, on the other hand, got his basic training in San Francisco, claims to have published America's very first bartender's manual here - no copies have been found to my knowledge - and then moved on to Chicago where he opened, as he humbly described it in the 1900 edition of his "Bartenders' Manual," "what was generally recognized to be the largest and finest establishment of the kind in this country." After that joint burned to the ground in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, Johnson went on to Boston, and he ended up opening his own place, Little Jumbo, on the Bowery in New York.
Thomas and Johnson, it seems, had the chance to work with the best of the best ingredients in San Francisco, if Hinton Helper, a 19th century journalist from North Carolina is to be believed: "I have seen purer liquors, better sugars, finer tobacco, truer guns and pistols, larger dirks and bowie knives, and prettier courtesans here in San Francisco than in any other place I have ever visited; and it is my unbiased opinion that California can and does furnish the best bad things that are available in America," he wrote in his 1855 book, "The Land of Gold."
And more than 150 years later I'm guessing that most of us believe that Helper's observations hold true today. More than a couple of world-class spirits producers are made right at San Franciscans' doorsteps. California spirits producers such as Anchor, Charbay, Distillery No. 209, Germain-Robin, and St. George Spirits have not only inspired bartenders on both coasts, but many understood, long before major liquor producers, how important bartenders are to their survival.
Even if the citrus-heavy theory of San Franciscan drinks isn't true today - and it might be - it most definitely was true in the late 1800s. And for good reason, too. At that time pisco punch was the toast of the town here while New Yorkers of the same time period were more likely to be knocking back Manhattans, and it's not hard to figure out why. Pisco was being shipped to San Francisco from Peru, and there happens to be quite a bounty of citrus in California. Pisco punch, then - basically pisco, pineapple juice and fresh lemon juice - would have been a natural for this neck of the woods.
Although whiskey was most definitely being served on the West Coast in those days, it wouldn't have been quite as easy to get here as it was back east, simply because back east is where it was being made. Much of it came from Kentucky, but a lot of whiskey back then was also being made in Pennsylvania and Maryland, too. By drinking what was readily available, then, quaffers on both coasts were saving their carbon footprints. And they didn't even know that they had carbon footprints.
Drinking locally
If gas prices keep soaring we might be headed right back to the 19th century when it comes to supplies, but for the time being bars here and in New York have access to just about any ingredients they want to play with, so it's interesting to look at what kind of drinks they choose to make. I asked a handful of bartenders on both coasts if they'd like to share an original cocktail recipe they believed represented their home city.
Jonathan Pogash, director of cocktail development for an exclusive chain of New York bars including the Campbell Apartment in Grand Central Station, sent me a recipe for the Midtown Buck, a drink that calls for gin, fresh ginger, lemon juice, simple syrup and a Long Island dessert wine. Traditionally drinks that fall under the "Buck" heading contain ginger ale, so this is a riff on a classical theme, and it also includes a local New York ingredient.
Hometown spirit
San Francisco's Bezuidenhout offers his Romanza cocktail as one that might embody the spirit of his fine adopted hometown, and I can see where he's coming from. The Romanza, a fairly simple affair that calls for Campari, Grand Marnier and fresh white grapefruit juice, points out the city's love for all things bitter. When you ask a bartender here to have a drink, chances are that she will head straight for the Fernet-Branca, right?
To sum up for the West Coast we'll listen to the words of Jonny Raglin, head bartender at Absinthe, who told me, "I can mix a killer Sazerac, and most of my creations are twists on classics." And if we allow Toby Cecchini to represent East Coast bartenders I should tell you that, given the chance, he'll bend your ear for a good long time about a variety of sour cherries called Sure-Fires that he once found at the Union Square greenmarket that were "unusually dark, like Bings, and held not only their shape and color, but even their stems and leaves remarkably after even two years of soaking (in maraschino liqueur), and their flavor was unreal ... ."
So it's just like I said: In San Francisco, they look to the past and lean toward tweaking the classics, and back in New York they put on their hippie vests and look to their greenmarkets for organic ingredients and homegrown this, that, and the other. That is what I said, right?
RECIPES ON F3
Nouveau Carre
Makes 1 drink
The formula here is adapted from a recipe by Jonny Raglin, head bartender, Absinthe, San Francisco. It shows its creator's abilities to knit together some very complex ingredients and bring them together harmoniously, without leaning on citrus or fresh fruit.
1 1/2 ounces Herradura añejo Tequila
3/4 ounce B&B liqueur
1/4 ounce Lillet Blanc
4 dashes Peychaud's bitters
1 lemon twist, for garnish
Instructions: Combine the Tequila, B&B, Lillet Blanc and bitters in a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add the garnish.
The Final Ward
Makes 1 drink
Adapted from a recipe by Phil Ward, head bartender, Death & Co., New York. The classic Last Word is made with gin, maraschino, Chartreuse and lime juice. Here the whiskey replaces the gin, and Ward changed the citrus from lime to lemon.
3/4 ounce Rittenhouse rye whiskey
3/4 ounce Luxardo maraschino liqueur
3/4 ounce green Chartreuse
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
Instructions: Combine ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Winter Tale
Makes 1 drink
Adapted from a recipe by Ektoras Binikos, head bartender at Aureole, New York. It seems like such a San Francisco effort, with cardamom seed brought in from the kitchen, caraway-flavored aquavit and a tot of a Cognac-based, pear-flavored liqueur.
1 cardamom seed
2 to 3 dashes Regans' Orange Bitters No. 6
1 ounces White Porto
1/2 ounce aquavit
1/2 ounce Belle de Brillet Liqueur Originale Poire Williams Au Cognac
Instructions: Put the cardamom seed and bitters into an empty mixing glass and grind them with a wooden muddler until the cardamom is well crushed. Fill the glass two-thirds full with ice and add the remaining ingredients. Shake for approximately 15 seconds, and strain into a chilled Riesling glass.
Grilled Peach Old Fashioned
Makes 1 drink
Adapted from a recipe by Neyah White, head bartender at Nopa, San Francisco. White utilizes the restaurant's wood-fired ovens to roast peaches for this drink. The roasted fruit is then muddled with an orange slice, lots of Angostura bitters and some brown molasses sugar - White prefers Billington's Natural Dark Brown Molasses Sugar, which is available on Amazon. Ice and a goodly amount of rum follow.
1/4 to 1/2 peach, grilled over open flame until soft
1 orange slice
1 teaspoon brown molasses sugar
8 heavy dashes of Angostura bitters
1 1/2 ounces aged rum (preferably Santa Teresa Gran Reserva)
Instructions: Muddle the peach and orange with sugar and bitters in a large old-fashioned glass. Add ice and rum, stir briefly and serve.
Gary Regan is the author of "The Joy of Mixology" and other books. E-mail him at wine@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page F - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
Gary Regan, Special to The Chronicle
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Like true sons and daughters of the hippie generation, the young bartenders of San Francisco tend toward organic cocktails filled with homegrown this and hand-fed that. Their creative juices are sweetened only with the pure agave nectar.
Back east in New York City, the progeny of Wall Streeters hold forth from behind the ivy-covered bars of the Big Apple. They seem to enjoy reinventing drinks that have been with us for a century at the very least, adding a drop of this, a dash of that, changing, perhaps, just one ingredient to bring the drink into the 21st century.
You simply can't get a classic cocktail in San Francisco, and if you go to New York you'll find nothing but.
Unless I'm wrong, of course ...
Although more than a few American cities boast great cocktailian bartenders, these two are often considered the leaders of modern American mixology, and each has its own vocal set of partisans. Since I've been listening to generalizations about East and West Coast bartenders for some time now, I think it's about time we set the record straight. First, I should probably point out that I've listened to similar comparisons between British and American bartenders, I've heard bartenders in Paris talk about their German counterparts, and believe it or not I've been privy to discussions about the merits of Slovakian bartenders compared to the guys who mix drinks in the Czech Republic.
Let's start out with a simple truth: All bartenders are created equal. Where they go from there is a matter of individual choice, and although certain styles most definitely emerge in specific locations - more on this in just a bit - there are bartenders who embrace their hometown fashions, and there are bartenders who shun them.
Now, let's get into some specifics.
Toby Maloney, a New York bartender who is currently the head mixologist at the Violet Hour in Chicago, muses that the cocktail scene today is much like the culinary landscape of a couple decades ago. "The East Coast is rooted in tradition - (and) by that I mean it is more conservative - where the West Coast is more experimental," he says. "I think that the bartenders in San Francisco are a little, well, nicer. We can have some serious attitude (in New York). You got a problem with that?"
Jacques Bezuidenhout, a man who has worked behind many of the finest cocktail bars in San Francisco, best sums up the general feeling I get from most, though certainly not all, of the city's bartenders who I asked about their style of creating drinks.
"I think we tend to look toward fresh ingredients," he says, adding that many San Francisco bartenders work closely with the kitchen to get their fruits, herbs and fresh produce - something found in abundance out west. "I think the trend started in the kitchen with the likes of Alice Waters and then over the years moved to the bar," he says. Good point, Jacques.
We also have to consider the fact that bartenders are wont to travel, so some New York quirks tend to make their way west, and our bartenders take some of their West Coast idiosyncrasies back east.
Pros with eggs and ice
Greg Lindgren, bartender and co-owner of Rye, says that last time he was in New York he learned a lot from talking to the bartenders at Little Branch and Death & Co. "New York (bartenders) handle eggs and ice better than I do," he noted. And Toby Cecchini, the New Yorker who is generally recognized as the creator of the cosmopolitan as we know it (Cheryl Cooke, a Miami bartender, came up with the concept, Toby ran with it) has noticed some bartenders in New York "doing lychee this and shiso that," ingredients that are far more commonplace behind bars in San Francisco. "With so much media attention focused on bartenders and bartending in general, I find things are beginning to blend together a bit more," he says.
Bartenders don't merely visit other cities, though. Sometimes they pull a few shifts while they're there. Thomas Waugh, for instance, the creator of some very serious cocktails who can usually be found shaking and stirring at San Francisco's Alembic, recently did a guest stint at New York's Death & Co., a speakeasy-style joint that's known for killer cocktails. And Phil Ward, the big cheese bartender at Death & Co, took Waugh's place behind the stick at Alembic.
When asked about the differences between bars on both coasts, Waugh said that cocktails on the West Coast might have been heavy on the citrus side about five years ago, but that's no longer true. Remember, this is the view of an individual, and although most of Waugh's drinks are not citrus-heavy, there are Bay Area bartenders very willing to take the opposing point of view. That doesn't make Waugh categorically wrong, though, and he makes a good point when he notes that the major difference between drinks on opposing coasts could be that the citrus fruits available to Californians are of better quality than the limes and lemons that the good folk back east can get their hands on.
"Don't take this the wrong way," he pleaded. "I loved working at Death & Co."
Geography or history?
Ward, on the other hand, thinks that the biggest difference in bars out west lies in the expectations of the customers. "San Franciscans tend to want to know where the ingredients in a cocktail come from in a geographic sense, whereas New Yorkers are more interested in where they came from historically," he says. It's an interesting take on both coasts' cultures, I guess, and I'll bet that Ward isn't the first bartender to notice this - traveling far and wide in order to learn the craft isn't an entirely new phenomenon.
New York-born bartending pioneer Jerry Thomas, for instance, held forth from behind the mahogany in San Francisco during the days of the Gold Rush, and he tended bar in Charleston, Chicago and a few other cities before returning to the Empire State.
Rival bartenders
Thomas' main rival, Harry Johnson, on the other hand, got his basic training in San Francisco, claims to have published America's very first bartender's manual here - no copies have been found to my knowledge - and then moved on to Chicago where he opened, as he humbly described it in the 1900 edition of his "Bartenders' Manual," "what was generally recognized to be the largest and finest establishment of the kind in this country." After that joint burned to the ground in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, Johnson went on to Boston, and he ended up opening his own place, Little Jumbo, on the Bowery in New York.
Thomas and Johnson, it seems, had the chance to work with the best of the best ingredients in San Francisco, if Hinton Helper, a 19th century journalist from North Carolina is to be believed: "I have seen purer liquors, better sugars, finer tobacco, truer guns and pistols, larger dirks and bowie knives, and prettier courtesans here in San Francisco than in any other place I have ever visited; and it is my unbiased opinion that California can and does furnish the best bad things that are available in America," he wrote in his 1855 book, "The Land of Gold."
And more than 150 years later I'm guessing that most of us believe that Helper's observations hold true today. More than a couple of world-class spirits producers are made right at San Franciscans' doorsteps. California spirits producers such as Anchor, Charbay, Distillery No. 209, Germain-Robin, and St. George Spirits have not only inspired bartenders on both coasts, but many understood, long before major liquor producers, how important bartenders are to their survival.
Even if the citrus-heavy theory of San Franciscan drinks isn't true today - and it might be - it most definitely was true in the late 1800s. And for good reason, too. At that time pisco punch was the toast of the town here while New Yorkers of the same time period were more likely to be knocking back Manhattans, and it's not hard to figure out why. Pisco was being shipped to San Francisco from Peru, and there happens to be quite a bounty of citrus in California. Pisco punch, then - basically pisco, pineapple juice and fresh lemon juice - would have been a natural for this neck of the woods.
Although whiskey was most definitely being served on the West Coast in those days, it wouldn't have been quite as easy to get here as it was back east, simply because back east is where it was being made. Much of it came from Kentucky, but a lot of whiskey back then was also being made in Pennsylvania and Maryland, too. By drinking what was readily available, then, quaffers on both coasts were saving their carbon footprints. And they didn't even know that they had carbon footprints.
Drinking locally
If gas prices keep soaring we might be headed right back to the 19th century when it comes to supplies, but for the time being bars here and in New York have access to just about any ingredients they want to play with, so it's interesting to look at what kind of drinks they choose to make. I asked a handful of bartenders on both coasts if they'd like to share an original cocktail recipe they believed represented their home city.
Jonathan Pogash, director of cocktail development for an exclusive chain of New York bars including the Campbell Apartment in Grand Central Station, sent me a recipe for the Midtown Buck, a drink that calls for gin, fresh ginger, lemon juice, simple syrup and a Long Island dessert wine. Traditionally drinks that fall under the "Buck" heading contain ginger ale, so this is a riff on a classical theme, and it also includes a local New York ingredient.
Hometown spirit
San Francisco's Bezuidenhout offers his Romanza cocktail as one that might embody the spirit of his fine adopted hometown, and I can see where he's coming from. The Romanza, a fairly simple affair that calls for Campari, Grand Marnier and fresh white grapefruit juice, points out the city's love for all things bitter. When you ask a bartender here to have a drink, chances are that she will head straight for the Fernet-Branca, right?
To sum up for the West Coast we'll listen to the words of Jonny Raglin, head bartender at Absinthe, who told me, "I can mix a killer Sazerac, and most of my creations are twists on classics." And if we allow Toby Cecchini to represent East Coast bartenders I should tell you that, given the chance, he'll bend your ear for a good long time about a variety of sour cherries called Sure-Fires that he once found at the Union Square greenmarket that were "unusually dark, like Bings, and held not only their shape and color, but even their stems and leaves remarkably after even two years of soaking (in maraschino liqueur), and their flavor was unreal ... ."
So it's just like I said: In San Francisco, they look to the past and lean toward tweaking the classics, and back in New York they put on their hippie vests and look to their greenmarkets for organic ingredients and homegrown this, that, and the other. That is what I said, right?
RECIPES ON F3
Nouveau Carre
Makes 1 drink
The formula here is adapted from a recipe by Jonny Raglin, head bartender, Absinthe, San Francisco. It shows its creator's abilities to knit together some very complex ingredients and bring them together harmoniously, without leaning on citrus or fresh fruit.
1 1/2 ounces Herradura añejo Tequila
3/4 ounce B&B liqueur
1/4 ounce Lillet Blanc
4 dashes Peychaud's bitters
1 lemon twist, for garnish
Instructions: Combine the Tequila, B&B, Lillet Blanc and bitters in a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Add the garnish.
The Final Ward
Makes 1 drink
Adapted from a recipe by Phil Ward, head bartender, Death & Co., New York. The classic Last Word is made with gin, maraschino, Chartreuse and lime juice. Here the whiskey replaces the gin, and Ward changed the citrus from lime to lemon.
3/4 ounce Rittenhouse rye whiskey
3/4 ounce Luxardo maraschino liqueur
3/4 ounce green Chartreuse
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
Instructions: Combine ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Winter Tale
Makes 1 drink
Adapted from a recipe by Ektoras Binikos, head bartender at Aureole, New York. It seems like such a San Francisco effort, with cardamom seed brought in from the kitchen, caraway-flavored aquavit and a tot of a Cognac-based, pear-flavored liqueur.
1 cardamom seed
2 to 3 dashes Regans' Orange Bitters No. 6
1 ounces White Porto
1/2 ounce aquavit
1/2 ounce Belle de Brillet Liqueur Originale Poire Williams Au Cognac
Instructions: Put the cardamom seed and bitters into an empty mixing glass and grind them with a wooden muddler until the cardamom is well crushed. Fill the glass two-thirds full with ice and add the remaining ingredients. Shake for approximately 15 seconds, and strain into a chilled Riesling glass.
Grilled Peach Old Fashioned
Makes 1 drink
Adapted from a recipe by Neyah White, head bartender at Nopa, San Francisco. White utilizes the restaurant's wood-fired ovens to roast peaches for this drink. The roasted fruit is then muddled with an orange slice, lots of Angostura bitters and some brown molasses sugar - White prefers Billington's Natural Dark Brown Molasses Sugar, which is available on Amazon. Ice and a goodly amount of rum follow.
1/4 to 1/2 peach, grilled over open flame until soft
1 orange slice
1 teaspoon brown molasses sugar
8 heavy dashes of Angostura bitters
1 1/2 ounces aged rum (preferably Santa Teresa Gran Reserva)
Instructions: Muddle the peach and orange with sugar and bitters in a large old-fashioned glass. Add ice and rum, stir briefly and serve.
Gary Regan is the author of "The Joy of Mixology" and other books. E-mail him at wine@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page F - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
miércoles, 25 de junio de 2008
National Geographic adquiere derechos exclusivos de documental del Senor de Sipan
National Geographic to air documentary about Peru's Lord of Sipan
Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz
National Geographic has acquired the exclusive rights to air in Latin America El Señor de Sipan, or Lord of Sipan, a documentary by Jose Manuel Novoa.
Novoa directed and wrote the script for the film alongside Peruvian archaeologist Walter Alva, the man who led the expedition that located the tomb, which was found intact and untouched by thieves.The renowned archaeologist found the tomb, which is over 1800 years old, of the powerful Moche warrior - the Lord of Sipan, in the northern Peruvian region of Lambayeque in 1987.Believed to be one of the richest in America, the tomb, which held the remains of the first Moche leader, is considered one of the most important archaeological discoveries in America.The docudrama Lord of Sipan, which is about Walter Alva's discovery of the Lord's tomb at Huaca Rajada pyramid, takes a look at the history of the Moche people, a culture which developed on the northern coast of Peru between 100 BC and 600 AD.In the film, which cost over €1 million to make, documentary specialist Jose Manuel Novoa recreates Sipan's life, which includes "sackings, murder and intrigue", as the story of Alva's amazing dig is told.Novoa, who has made 107 films, assured the documentary would be released this year.
Living in Peru
Israel J. Ruiz
National Geographic has acquired the exclusive rights to air in Latin America El Señor de Sipan, or Lord of Sipan, a documentary by Jose Manuel Novoa.
Novoa directed and wrote the script for the film alongside Peruvian archaeologist Walter Alva, the man who led the expedition that located the tomb, which was found intact and untouched by thieves.The renowned archaeologist found the tomb, which is over 1800 years old, of the powerful Moche warrior - the Lord of Sipan, in the northern Peruvian region of Lambayeque in 1987.Believed to be one of the richest in America, the tomb, which held the remains of the first Moche leader, is considered one of the most important archaeological discoveries in America.The docudrama Lord of Sipan, which is about Walter Alva's discovery of the Lord's tomb at Huaca Rajada pyramid, takes a look at the history of the Moche people, a culture which developed on the northern coast of Peru between 100 BC and 600 AD.In the film, which cost over €1 million to make, documentary specialist Jose Manuel Novoa recreates Sipan's life, which includes "sackings, murder and intrigue", as the story of Alva's amazing dig is told.Novoa, who has made 107 films, assured the documentary would be released this year.
Gaston Acurio abrira restaurante marino en San Francisco
Peru's top chef ready to conquer S.F.
Stacy Finz, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
The Key limes are wrong, the sweet potatoes are of a different variety, and even some of the fish vary from those called for in the original recipes.
But as long as Gastón Acurio, who plans to open his first American seafood restaurant in San Francisco this September, can cook with the chiles from his homeland, he says he'll be OK. His food will be authentic - even if it's made here, with American ingredients.
The 40-year-old Acurio has been called Peru's great chef. That description would have been an oxymoron 15 years ago, when not even Peruvians thought their cuisine worthy of a fine-dining experience.
"The food was nice," says Acurio. "Something you ate at home."
But for a white-tablecloth dinner, it was always French.
Now he says, there's barely a French restaurant to be found in Lima.
Although classically trained at the Cordon Bleu in Paris, Acurio decided to return home in 1994 and embrace his native fare, an amalgamation of ingredients and cooking styles influenced by the Incas, Japanese and Chinese settlers, African slaves and Spanish ancestors. During the next several years, he and other contemporary chefs worked tirelessly to elevate Peruvian food to a permanent place in the gourmet hierarchy. He opened Astrid y Gastón, a high-end restaurant named for him and his wife, a German pastry chef he met in cooking school. Later he opened La Mar, a trendy cebicheria in the Miraflores district of Lima.
Seafood specialty
The obligatory cooking show and a cookbook quickly followed. Now, with restaurants in seven countries, including Spain, Mexico and Venezuela, with the San Francisco waterfront project, and plans to open more in Costa Rica and Brazil, Acurio is considered one of Latin America's most influential chefs.
Acurio is known for his many ceviche recipes, which are often served with sweet potatoes and corn. The fish in Peruvian ceviches don't macerate in the marinade for hours to cook, as in Mexican ceviches. The fish is raw - more like sashimi with a ceviche base.
His other specialties include cooked seafood made with various chile sauces; causa, a cold potato dish prepared with smoked trout and raw tuna; and tiradito, thinly cut strips of raw fish.
Last week, Acurio stood in an Emeryville commercial kitchen, his unruly mop of brown hair and casual black T-shirt doing little to disguise his intensity as he and his team tested recipes.
"The ceviche is 70 percent there," said 35-year-old Jose Luis, the chef who will run the kitchen at Acurio's San Francisco La Mar, a spin-off of the Peruvian restaurant.
Acurio spooned a chunk of the citrus-drenched California halibut into his mouth.
"It's only 20 to 25 percent there," said the chef, who attempted to covertly scold Luis in Spanish about how he thought the lime juice had oxidized.
The San Joaquin Valley sweet potatoes, while not perfect, were a close match to the ones that grow in the Andes. Acurio is firm about wanting to source ingredients from local farmers. The chiles, however, are non-negotiable. They have to come from Peru.
Chiles are key
"The DNA of Peruvian food is the chiles," he says. The mainstays of his country's cuisine are the aji amarillo or yellow chile, aji limo or habanero, the aji panca (a dark red chile that tastes fruity) and the aji rocoto (a chile grown in the Andes that resembles a mini bell pepper). The chiles add flavor more than heat to his food, which is not overly spicy.
Red onion and Peruvian black mint, or huacatay, are also crucial ingredients.
"It's like the bass in the music," he says. "It's our rhythm."
Emmanuel Kemiji, a master sommelier and vintner who is creating La Mar's wine list, says the process has been a bit daunting.
"The first challenge was to figure out what the hell is Peruvian food," says Kemiji, adding that he initially looked to the South American country as an obvious source for wine selections. "They make wine in Peru. But they shouldn't."
Kemiji says he plans to go with varietals from Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Spain and California that will complement Acurio's seafood and the six or so meat dishes planned for the menu. There will also be a pisco bar. Pisco is a Peruvian version of grappa that can either be drunk straight or in a cocktail like the popular pisco sour. "It's their national drink," says Kemiji.
And Acurio, the son of a Peruvian politician, is true to tradition. But he hasn't always been true to his father's wishes. Gastón Acurio Velarde, a former prime minister and senator, wanted his son to be an attorney. So he sent him to law school in Spain. After a year, Acurio quit and began attending cooking classes at Sol de Madrid, a hotel trade school.
"When my father came to visit, I would hide my recipe books and pull out the law texts," he says. Eventually the jig was up, and Velarde agreed that his son should go to Paris.
Now, the younger Gastón is doing his part to be an ambassador of his country by taking Peruvian food worldwide.
As he and Luis continued to experiment with the ceviche, someone asked if they were getting closer to perfection.
"It will never be 100 percent because we're not in Peru," he said. "There are some things we cannot reproduce."
E-mail the writer at sfinz@sfchronicle.com
Stacy Finz, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
The Key limes are wrong, the sweet potatoes are of a different variety, and even some of the fish vary from those called for in the original recipes.
But as long as Gastón Acurio, who plans to open his first American seafood restaurant in San Francisco this September, can cook with the chiles from his homeland, he says he'll be OK. His food will be authentic - even if it's made here, with American ingredients.
The 40-year-old Acurio has been called Peru's great chef. That description would have been an oxymoron 15 years ago, when not even Peruvians thought their cuisine worthy of a fine-dining experience.
"The food was nice," says Acurio. "Something you ate at home."
But for a white-tablecloth dinner, it was always French.
Now he says, there's barely a French restaurant to be found in Lima.
Although classically trained at the Cordon Bleu in Paris, Acurio decided to return home in 1994 and embrace his native fare, an amalgamation of ingredients and cooking styles influenced by the Incas, Japanese and Chinese settlers, African slaves and Spanish ancestors. During the next several years, he and other contemporary chefs worked tirelessly to elevate Peruvian food to a permanent place in the gourmet hierarchy. He opened Astrid y Gastón, a high-end restaurant named for him and his wife, a German pastry chef he met in cooking school. Later he opened La Mar, a trendy cebicheria in the Miraflores district of Lima.
Seafood specialty
The obligatory cooking show and a cookbook quickly followed. Now, with restaurants in seven countries, including Spain, Mexico and Venezuela, with the San Francisco waterfront project, and plans to open more in Costa Rica and Brazil, Acurio is considered one of Latin America's most influential chefs.
Acurio is known for his many ceviche recipes, which are often served with sweet potatoes and corn. The fish in Peruvian ceviches don't macerate in the marinade for hours to cook, as in Mexican ceviches. The fish is raw - more like sashimi with a ceviche base.
His other specialties include cooked seafood made with various chile sauces; causa, a cold potato dish prepared with smoked trout and raw tuna; and tiradito, thinly cut strips of raw fish.
Last week, Acurio stood in an Emeryville commercial kitchen, his unruly mop of brown hair and casual black T-shirt doing little to disguise his intensity as he and his team tested recipes.
"The ceviche is 70 percent there," said 35-year-old Jose Luis, the chef who will run the kitchen at Acurio's San Francisco La Mar, a spin-off of the Peruvian restaurant.
Acurio spooned a chunk of the citrus-drenched California halibut into his mouth.
"It's only 20 to 25 percent there," said the chef, who attempted to covertly scold Luis in Spanish about how he thought the lime juice had oxidized.
The San Joaquin Valley sweet potatoes, while not perfect, were a close match to the ones that grow in the Andes. Acurio is firm about wanting to source ingredients from local farmers. The chiles, however, are non-negotiable. They have to come from Peru.
Chiles are key
"The DNA of Peruvian food is the chiles," he says. The mainstays of his country's cuisine are the aji amarillo or yellow chile, aji limo or habanero, the aji panca (a dark red chile that tastes fruity) and the aji rocoto (a chile grown in the Andes that resembles a mini bell pepper). The chiles add flavor more than heat to his food, which is not overly spicy.
Red onion and Peruvian black mint, or huacatay, are also crucial ingredients.
"It's like the bass in the music," he says. "It's our rhythm."
Emmanuel Kemiji, a master sommelier and vintner who is creating La Mar's wine list, says the process has been a bit daunting.
"The first challenge was to figure out what the hell is Peruvian food," says Kemiji, adding that he initially looked to the South American country as an obvious source for wine selections. "They make wine in Peru. But they shouldn't."
Kemiji says he plans to go with varietals from Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Spain and California that will complement Acurio's seafood and the six or so meat dishes planned for the menu. There will also be a pisco bar. Pisco is a Peruvian version of grappa that can either be drunk straight or in a cocktail like the popular pisco sour. "It's their national drink," says Kemiji.
And Acurio, the son of a Peruvian politician, is true to tradition. But he hasn't always been true to his father's wishes. Gastón Acurio Velarde, a former prime minister and senator, wanted his son to be an attorney. So he sent him to law school in Spain. After a year, Acurio quit and began attending cooking classes at Sol de Madrid, a hotel trade school.
"When my father came to visit, I would hide my recipe books and pull out the law texts," he says. Eventually the jig was up, and Velarde agreed that his son should go to Paris.
Now, the younger Gastón is doing his part to be an ambassador of his country by taking Peruvian food worldwide.
As he and Luis continued to experiment with the ceviche, someone asked if they were getting closer to perfection.
"It will never be 100 percent because we're not in Peru," he said. "There are some things we cannot reproduce."
E-mail the writer at sfinz@sfchronicle.com
Empresa Amera anuncia interes de compra de mina de cobre en Arequipa
Amera Options Cercana Porphyry Copper Property, Peru
June 25, 2008: 02:26 PM EST
Amera Resources Corporation (the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: AMS)(OTCBB: AJRSF)(FRANKFURT: OAY)(WKN: A0B54E) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an option to acquire a 100% interest in the 1,075 hectare Cercana porphyry copper project located in Arequipa department, southern Peru. The property is situated within the Paleocene Southern Peru Porphyry Copper Belt, which encompasses major producing copper mines such as Cerro Verde, Cerro Negro, Cuajone, Quellaveco and Toquepala. Although a thin layer of volcanic ash covers most bedrock on the Cercana claims, recent bulldozer trenching and road cuts have exposed copper oxide mineralization grading up 0.22% copper over 24m and up to 2.5% copper from grab samples.
"The addition of the Cercana property to Amera's Peruvian portfolio is an important accomplishment and will add significant value as exploration unfolds," stated Nikolaos Cacos, President & CEO. "This project is located amongst large-scale producing copper porphyry mines and offers an exciting opportunity for our shareholders."
Amera's immediate exploration plans for this project includes geologic mapping, additional trenching, channel sampling, ground geophysics and drilling. A surface program is currently underway on the project. A series of maps for the Cercana project can be found on the Company's website at: www.ameraresources.com.
Technical Details
The Cercana property is located 21 kilometres southeast of Arequipa city and lies 8 kilometres southeast of Freeport McMoran's Cerro Verde mine where production over the next three years will range from 655 to 705 million tons of copper and 7 to 9 million pounds of molybdenum from both SX-EW oxide ore and sulfide concentrate. The Southern Peru Porphyry Copper Belt is underlain by the La Caldera batholith complex. Regional mineralization is related to porphyry copper forming associated potassic and silicic alteration, quartz-tourmaline breccias and peripheral gold veins and stockwork. Major copper mines including Cerro Verde, Cerro Negro, Cuajone, Quellaveco and Toquepala are aligned along the northwest trending Incapuquio-Chapi fault system.
The Cercana property encompasses gentle topography largely covered by thin Tertiary ignimbrite volcanic flows and Quaternary volcanic ash. Abundant quartz-tourmaline breccia boulders, used as an exploration guide in the district, are scattered across the property. Bedrock underlying the Cercana claims comprises granodiorite, dacite and monzonite porphyry, Yura Group quartzite roof pendants, quartz-tourmaline hydrothermal breccias and post-mineral rhyolitic volcanic ignimbrites. Copper oxide mineralization occurs in quartz-tourmaline breccia and is disseminated within altered monzonite.
In the course of Amera's technical due diligence on the property a total of 47 rock samples were collected, including several long composite chip samples from trenches and road cuts. Values range from less than 0.005 to 0.404 g/t gold, less than 0.02 to 302 g/t silver, 43 ppm to 2.5% copper and less than 1 to 411 ppm molybdenum. The average copper grade for all 47 rocks collected was 0.56% copper. Grades for significant composite channel samples are listed in the table below: ------------------------------------------------------
ZONE Sample width (m) Cu (%)
------------------------------------------------------
15 0.797
Bonito Breccia zone ------------------------
3 0.706
------------------------------------------------------
10 0.183
------------------------
Central Porphyry Zone 20 0.143
------------------------
24 0.220
------------------------------------------------------
The three composite chip samples from the Central Porphyry Zone were collected along a 70m road cut across mineralized rock. However, 16m of the road cut were not exposed and could not be sampled. The results are reported as three separate composite chip samples that collectively measure 54m of the 70m road cut.
Surface oxide copper minerals include chrysocolla, malachite, tenorite, copper pitch, bronchantite and traces of chalcocite. These copper oxide minerals indicate a leached cap is present at surface on the Cercana. property, and suggest that potential exits at depth for supergene enrichment. Targets on the property identified to date include copper-bearing breccia pipes, porphyry copper zones with supergene enrichment and quartzite-hosted stockwork disseminated gold in roof pendants.
The Cercana claims are held under an option to purchase contract with a private Peruvian company. Amera has the option to purchase 100% of the claims by making escalating payments over four years for a total $2,005,000 plus a 0.5% net smelter return (NSR) royalty. A finder's fee is payable in respect of this transaction, subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval.
Technical information in this press release has been prepared by Peter Ellsworth, Vice President Exploration for Amera and a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101.
Amera Resources Corporation is a metals exploration company focused on the Americas. Its strength lies in the discovery and advancement of prospective properties throughout North and South America. The Company is in the midst of an aggressive exploration program focused on its property portfolio in Peru. Management is constantly evaluating new opportunities through its extensive network of contacts in the resource sector. The Amera team is committed to growth and adding shareholder value through precious and base metal discoveries.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Mr. Nikolaos Cacos, President & CEO
Cautionary Note to US Investors: This news release may contain information about adjacent properties on which we have no right to explore or mine. We advise U.S. investors that the SEC's mining guidelines strictly prohibit information of this type in documents filed with the SEC. U.S. investors are cautioned that mineral deposits on adjacent properties are not indicative of mineral deposits on our properties. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.
To view the map accompanying this release please click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/0625ams.pdf
2008 Number 13
The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of this release. Contacts:
Amera Resources Corporation
Alex Mason
Corporate Communications
(604) 687-1828 or Toll Free: 1-800-901-0058
(604) 687-1858 (FAX)
Email: info@ameraresources.com
Website: www.ameraresources.com
June 25, 2008: 02:26 PM EST
Amera Resources Corporation (the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: AMS)(OTCBB: AJRSF)(FRANKFURT: OAY)(WKN: A0B54E) is pleased to announce that it has entered into an option to acquire a 100% interest in the 1,075 hectare Cercana porphyry copper project located in Arequipa department, southern Peru. The property is situated within the Paleocene Southern Peru Porphyry Copper Belt, which encompasses major producing copper mines such as Cerro Verde, Cerro Negro, Cuajone, Quellaveco and Toquepala. Although a thin layer of volcanic ash covers most bedrock on the Cercana claims, recent bulldozer trenching and road cuts have exposed copper oxide mineralization grading up 0.22% copper over 24m and up to 2.5% copper from grab samples.
"The addition of the Cercana property to Amera's Peruvian portfolio is an important accomplishment and will add significant value as exploration unfolds," stated Nikolaos Cacos, President & CEO. "This project is located amongst large-scale producing copper porphyry mines and offers an exciting opportunity for our shareholders."
Amera's immediate exploration plans for this project includes geologic mapping, additional trenching, channel sampling, ground geophysics and drilling. A surface program is currently underway on the project. A series of maps for the Cercana project can be found on the Company's website at: www.ameraresources.com.
Technical Details
The Cercana property is located 21 kilometres southeast of Arequipa city and lies 8 kilometres southeast of Freeport McMoran's Cerro Verde mine where production over the next three years will range from 655 to 705 million tons of copper and 7 to 9 million pounds of molybdenum from both SX-EW oxide ore and sulfide concentrate. The Southern Peru Porphyry Copper Belt is underlain by the La Caldera batholith complex. Regional mineralization is related to porphyry copper forming associated potassic and silicic alteration, quartz-tourmaline breccias and peripheral gold veins and stockwork. Major copper mines including Cerro Verde, Cerro Negro, Cuajone, Quellaveco and Toquepala are aligned along the northwest trending Incapuquio-Chapi fault system.
The Cercana property encompasses gentle topography largely covered by thin Tertiary ignimbrite volcanic flows and Quaternary volcanic ash. Abundant quartz-tourmaline breccia boulders, used as an exploration guide in the district, are scattered across the property. Bedrock underlying the Cercana claims comprises granodiorite, dacite and monzonite porphyry, Yura Group quartzite roof pendants, quartz-tourmaline hydrothermal breccias and post-mineral rhyolitic volcanic ignimbrites. Copper oxide mineralization occurs in quartz-tourmaline breccia and is disseminated within altered monzonite.
In the course of Amera's technical due diligence on the property a total of 47 rock samples were collected, including several long composite chip samples from trenches and road cuts. Values range from less than 0.005 to 0.404 g/t gold, less than 0.02 to 302 g/t silver, 43 ppm to 2.5% copper and less than 1 to 411 ppm molybdenum. The average copper grade for all 47 rocks collected was 0.56% copper. Grades for significant composite channel samples are listed in the table below: ------------------------------------------------------
ZONE Sample width (m) Cu (%)
------------------------------------------------------
15 0.797
Bonito Breccia zone ------------------------
3 0.706
------------------------------------------------------
10 0.183
------------------------
Central Porphyry Zone 20 0.143
------------------------
24 0.220
------------------------------------------------------
The three composite chip samples from the Central Porphyry Zone were collected along a 70m road cut across mineralized rock. However, 16m of the road cut were not exposed and could not be sampled. The results are reported as three separate composite chip samples that collectively measure 54m of the 70m road cut.
Surface oxide copper minerals include chrysocolla, malachite, tenorite, copper pitch, bronchantite and traces of chalcocite. These copper oxide minerals indicate a leached cap is present at surface on the Cercana. property, and suggest that potential exits at depth for supergene enrichment. Targets on the property identified to date include copper-bearing breccia pipes, porphyry copper zones with supergene enrichment and quartzite-hosted stockwork disseminated gold in roof pendants.
The Cercana claims are held under an option to purchase contract with a private Peruvian company. Amera has the option to purchase 100% of the claims by making escalating payments over four years for a total $2,005,000 plus a 0.5% net smelter return (NSR) royalty. A finder's fee is payable in respect of this transaction, subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval.
Technical information in this press release has been prepared by Peter Ellsworth, Vice President Exploration for Amera and a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101.
Amera Resources Corporation is a metals exploration company focused on the Americas. Its strength lies in the discovery and advancement of prospective properties throughout North and South America. The Company is in the midst of an aggressive exploration program focused on its property portfolio in Peru. Management is constantly evaluating new opportunities through its extensive network of contacts in the resource sector. The Amera team is committed to growth and adding shareholder value through precious and base metal discoveries.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Mr. Nikolaos Cacos, President & CEO
Cautionary Note to US Investors: This news release may contain information about adjacent properties on which we have no right to explore or mine. We advise U.S. investors that the SEC's mining guidelines strictly prohibit information of this type in documents filed with the SEC. U.S. investors are cautioned that mineral deposits on adjacent properties are not indicative of mineral deposits on our properties. This news release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.
To view the map accompanying this release please click on the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/0625ams.pdf
2008 Number 13
The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of this release. Contacts:
Amera Resources Corporation
Alex Mason
Corporate Communications
(604) 687-1828 or Toll Free: 1-800-901-0058
(604) 687-1858 (FAX)
Email: info@ameraresources.com
Website: www.ameraresources.com
lunes, 23 de junio de 2008
Peruanos en Inglaterra celebran el Inti Raymi
Peruvians living in England celebrated Inti Raymi
London, Jun. 22 (ANDINA).- The Peruvian community in England celebrated the traditional Inti Raymi or Festival of the Sun in the famous Stonehenge where many Peruvians gathered to welcome the sunrise on the Summer Solstice. John Loayza, an expat born in the Andean city of Abancay, dressed up as an Inca and led the celebrations of the millennial festival, while the attendees wore chullos (a Peruvian style of hat made from vicuña, alpaca, llama or sheep's wool) and other garments with Andean designs.
London’s oldest carnival took place near the stadium of football team Tottenham. During the event, a group of Peruvians staged a short play about Peru's history and performed traditional dances wearing beautiful costumes.
The event, which was attended by Peruvian consul in London July Garro, was organized by the UK-Peruvian association, the Pedro Achat Trust Peruvian foundation and the Minka publication .
(END) ART/AVC/EEP
London, Jun. 22 (ANDINA).- The Peruvian community in England celebrated the traditional Inti Raymi or Festival of the Sun in the famous Stonehenge where many Peruvians gathered to welcome the sunrise on the Summer Solstice. John Loayza, an expat born in the Andean city of Abancay, dressed up as an Inca and led the celebrations of the millennial festival, while the attendees wore chullos (a Peruvian style of hat made from vicuña, alpaca, llama or sheep's wool) and other garments with Andean designs.
London’s oldest carnival took place near the stadium of football team Tottenham. During the event, a group of Peruvians staged a short play about Peru's history and performed traditional dances wearing beautiful costumes.
The event, which was attended by Peruvian consul in London July Garro, was organized by the UK-Peruvian association, the Pedro Achat Trust Peruvian foundation and the Minka publication .
(END) ART/AVC/EEP
domingo, 22 de junio de 2008
Restaurante Peruano que encanta paladar de Californianos
Peru to You
Nazca brings the diverse tastes of Peru to San Jose
By Stett Holbrook
DOWNTOWN San Jose's staid restaurant scene just got a lot more interesting with the opening of Nazca Peruvian Cuisine. First-time restaurateurs Martha and Jose Bohorquez spent eight months remodeling before opening in March. They added a sleek open kitchen and remodeled the dining room in dusky tones of red and brown.
The Bohorquezes love Peruvian food but tired of driving to San Francisco to get it. So they decided to open their own restaurant and traveled to Peru to recruit a consulting chef to design the menu and train the staff. The chef, Altaea De Bernardi, shuttles between Lima, Peru and San Jose to oversee the restaurant, while another Limeño, Amparo Zuniga, handles the day-to-day duties in the kitchen.
Nazca bills itself as a modern Peruvian restaurant. It offers a well-rounded menu of Peruvian standards as well as several fusion dishes that push the boundaries of a cuisine already steeped in numerous culinary traditions. While not all dishes hit their target, it is still a refreshing change to the same old steakhouses and chain restaurants that seem to dominate downtown San Jose.
Of all South American cuisines, Peru's is the most diverse, drawing on influences from China, Japan, Italy, Spain and its own indigenous populations. Add Peru's distinct culinary styles from the coast, the Andes and interior jungles and you get a wonderfully rich and complex cuisine. In fact, the world owes Peru a debt. Potatoes, chiles, corn and tomatoes all originated in Peru.
Ceviche, lime-marinated seafood, is probably Peru's best-known dish, and it's quite good here. Ceviche de pescado ($15.50) is available with the fresh fish of the day, and on all my visits the lucky fish was halibut. The diced, mild fish is the perfect vehicle to carry the bright, refreshing flavors of lime, aji chiles, cilantro and red onion.
The dish provides a lot of fish for one person so this might be one to share as an appetizer. Come to think of it, all of Nazca's portions are quite large, so consider sharing, a strategy that will help cut the cost of what can be an expensive lunch or dinner.
Tiradito is essentially sashimi, a traditional Peruvian dish that reveals its Japanese influences. Tiradito Nikkei ($15.50) combines thinly sliced raw halibut with what's described as an oyster and coconut milk vinaigrette but is really a thick glaze that was severely overapplied. I liked the salty, sweet flavor but could have done with just a squiggle of sauce instead of a bucketful. The most delicious dish I tried on the extensive menu was the tacu tacu de camarones ($15). It's amazing that what amounts to a crispy cake of puréed rice and beans can reach such heights of savory deliciousness. Add shrimp braised in a chupe sauce, a tomato-based seafood bisque, and it's even better.
Another dish that's far better than it sounds is mini causitas revoltosas, little, artfully arranged stacks of mashed-potato cakes topped with panko-crusted tuna tartare, crab meat, shrimp tempura and aji chiles.
Seafood dishes are particularly good at Nazca. Parihuela ($18.50) is Peru's version of bouillabaisse, a thick tomtatoey stew larded with clams, halibut scallops, squid, shrimp and a spiny langoustine. Conchas Philly ($13.25) is another winner—six bay scallops each served in a ceramic white spoon in a buttery miso sauce topped with crispy shards of phyllo dough.
I also liked the lenguado braseado ($21.95), deftly cooked pan-fried halibut ladled with a mushroom and tomato sauce and served over a dune of puréed corn. As good as the fish was, the kitchen relies too heavily on halibut. There are other fish in the sea.
Lomo saltado ($20.95) and aji de gallina ($14.50), two classics of Peruvian food, came up short. The first is a hearty dish of sautéed strips of filet mignon, red onions, bell peppers and french fries in a light soy sauce and garlic sauce. It's a huge plate of food and chomping through it became a chore halfway through. Aji de gallina combines pulled chicken in a monotonous creamy sauce made of aji chiles and walnuts.
For dessert, I was hoping for a taste of Peru's famous lucuna ice cream, a treat made with a unique Peruvian fruit, or alfajores, a layered cookie filled with dulce de leche. Instead there's a humdrum roster that include chocolate cake, apple- and banana-filled wontons, profiteroles and a mango sorbet/raspberry and meringue dessert. The pastry served with the profiteroles ($7.50) was heavy and muffinlike, and the sorbet dessert was coarse and crunchy. The fresh berries were good, though.
Service is knowledgeable and attentive, but there can be long waits between dishes, even when the restaurant is barely occupied. In spite of a few less-than-successful dishes, Nazca deserves to be much busier. I hope the kitchen and servers can keep up if and when the crowds come. Either way, most of the food is worth waiting for.
Nazca Peruvian Cuisine
Address: 167 W. San Fernando St., San Jose
Phone: 408.295.2828
Hours: Lunch 11am–3pm Mon–Fri, dinner 5–9pm Mon–Wed and 5–10pm Thu–Fri, Sat 11am–10pm
Cuisine: Peruvian
Price Range: $12.50–$28.75
Nazca brings the diverse tastes of Peru to San Jose
By Stett Holbrook
DOWNTOWN San Jose's staid restaurant scene just got a lot more interesting with the opening of Nazca Peruvian Cuisine. First-time restaurateurs Martha and Jose Bohorquez spent eight months remodeling before opening in March. They added a sleek open kitchen and remodeled the dining room in dusky tones of red and brown.
The Bohorquezes love Peruvian food but tired of driving to San Francisco to get it. So they decided to open their own restaurant and traveled to Peru to recruit a consulting chef to design the menu and train the staff. The chef, Altaea De Bernardi, shuttles between Lima, Peru and San Jose to oversee the restaurant, while another Limeño, Amparo Zuniga, handles the day-to-day duties in the kitchen.
Nazca bills itself as a modern Peruvian restaurant. It offers a well-rounded menu of Peruvian standards as well as several fusion dishes that push the boundaries of a cuisine already steeped in numerous culinary traditions. While not all dishes hit their target, it is still a refreshing change to the same old steakhouses and chain restaurants that seem to dominate downtown San Jose.
Of all South American cuisines, Peru's is the most diverse, drawing on influences from China, Japan, Italy, Spain and its own indigenous populations. Add Peru's distinct culinary styles from the coast, the Andes and interior jungles and you get a wonderfully rich and complex cuisine. In fact, the world owes Peru a debt. Potatoes, chiles, corn and tomatoes all originated in Peru.
Ceviche, lime-marinated seafood, is probably Peru's best-known dish, and it's quite good here. Ceviche de pescado ($15.50) is available with the fresh fish of the day, and on all my visits the lucky fish was halibut. The diced, mild fish is the perfect vehicle to carry the bright, refreshing flavors of lime, aji chiles, cilantro and red onion.
The dish provides a lot of fish for one person so this might be one to share as an appetizer. Come to think of it, all of Nazca's portions are quite large, so consider sharing, a strategy that will help cut the cost of what can be an expensive lunch or dinner.
Tiradito is essentially sashimi, a traditional Peruvian dish that reveals its Japanese influences. Tiradito Nikkei ($15.50) combines thinly sliced raw halibut with what's described as an oyster and coconut milk vinaigrette but is really a thick glaze that was severely overapplied. I liked the salty, sweet flavor but could have done with just a squiggle of sauce instead of a bucketful. The most delicious dish I tried on the extensive menu was the tacu tacu de camarones ($15). It's amazing that what amounts to a crispy cake of puréed rice and beans can reach such heights of savory deliciousness. Add shrimp braised in a chupe sauce, a tomato-based seafood bisque, and it's even better.
Another dish that's far better than it sounds is mini causitas revoltosas, little, artfully arranged stacks of mashed-potato cakes topped with panko-crusted tuna tartare, crab meat, shrimp tempura and aji chiles.
Seafood dishes are particularly good at Nazca. Parihuela ($18.50) is Peru's version of bouillabaisse, a thick tomtatoey stew larded with clams, halibut scallops, squid, shrimp and a spiny langoustine. Conchas Philly ($13.25) is another winner—six bay scallops each served in a ceramic white spoon in a buttery miso sauce topped with crispy shards of phyllo dough.
I also liked the lenguado braseado ($21.95), deftly cooked pan-fried halibut ladled with a mushroom and tomato sauce and served over a dune of puréed corn. As good as the fish was, the kitchen relies too heavily on halibut. There are other fish in the sea.
Lomo saltado ($20.95) and aji de gallina ($14.50), two classics of Peruvian food, came up short. The first is a hearty dish of sautéed strips of filet mignon, red onions, bell peppers and french fries in a light soy sauce and garlic sauce. It's a huge plate of food and chomping through it became a chore halfway through. Aji de gallina combines pulled chicken in a monotonous creamy sauce made of aji chiles and walnuts.
For dessert, I was hoping for a taste of Peru's famous lucuna ice cream, a treat made with a unique Peruvian fruit, or alfajores, a layered cookie filled with dulce de leche. Instead there's a humdrum roster that include chocolate cake, apple- and banana-filled wontons, profiteroles and a mango sorbet/raspberry and meringue dessert. The pastry served with the profiteroles ($7.50) was heavy and muffinlike, and the sorbet dessert was coarse and crunchy. The fresh berries were good, though.
Service is knowledgeable and attentive, but there can be long waits between dishes, even when the restaurant is barely occupied. In spite of a few less-than-successful dishes, Nazca deserves to be much busier. I hope the kitchen and servers can keep up if and when the crowds come. Either way, most of the food is worth waiting for.
Nazca Peruvian Cuisine
Address: 167 W. San Fernando St., San Jose
Phone: 408.295.2828
Hours: Lunch 11am–3pm Mon–Fri, dinner 5–9pm Mon–Wed and 5–10pm Thu–Fri, Sat 11am–10pm
Cuisine: Peruvian
Price Range: $12.50–$28.75
Daran nombre a nueva variedad de Papa descendiente de variedad Peruana
Branston potato to be named at Eden Project
Children visiting the Celebration of Food and Farmers at the Eden Project this week will be invited to name a brand new potato variety from Branston Ltd.The potato, known only as variety number 00.H.14 A3, will be named as part of a competition.The new variety is related to the traditional Peruvian potato species Solanum pureja, which has a stronger flavour and a firmer texture than the cultivated potato species Solanum tuberosum. The multi-purpose product, which is ideal for salads and roasting, has a creamy-yellow flesh and its skin has distinctive pink colouration.
David Nelson, field director at Branston, said: “We are delighted to be involved with the Eden Project’s Celebration of Food and Farmers, and it seemed like an ideal opportunity to introduce our new variety to the public. “There will be thousands of people there over the weekend and we’re hoping to harness some of their creative energies. We’re looking forward to reading the entries and seeing the children’s suggestions for a name. It’s a novel way for them to use their imaginations and possibly see their idea in the shops in years to come.”Paul Holmes, agency liaison officer at the Eden Project, added: “With our particular interest in world crops, we have been working closely with Branston and we’re growing some samples of its new variety here at the project. The competition is a great idea to get children in thinking about food and farming, and having some fun.”Entry forms will be available from the Branston display, where visitors will also get the chance find out more about potatoes in Peru and Cornwall, and meet Cornish potato growers. Cornish potatoes that will be served alongside other locally sourced produce at the event.
Story published: Sat 21 Jun 08 10:01
Children visiting the Celebration of Food and Farmers at the Eden Project this week will be invited to name a brand new potato variety from Branston Ltd.The potato, known only as variety number 00.H.14 A3, will be named as part of a competition.The new variety is related to the traditional Peruvian potato species Solanum pureja, which has a stronger flavour and a firmer texture than the cultivated potato species Solanum tuberosum. The multi-purpose product, which is ideal for salads and roasting, has a creamy-yellow flesh and its skin has distinctive pink colouration.
David Nelson, field director at Branston, said: “We are delighted to be involved with the Eden Project’s Celebration of Food and Farmers, and it seemed like an ideal opportunity to introduce our new variety to the public. “There will be thousands of people there over the weekend and we’re hoping to harness some of their creative energies. We’re looking forward to reading the entries and seeing the children’s suggestions for a name. It’s a novel way for them to use their imaginations and possibly see their idea in the shops in years to come.”Paul Holmes, agency liaison officer at the Eden Project, added: “With our particular interest in world crops, we have been working closely with Branston and we’re growing some samples of its new variety here at the project. The competition is a great idea to get children in thinking about food and farming, and having some fun.”Entry forms will be available from the Branston display, where visitors will also get the chance find out more about potatoes in Peru and Cornwall, and meet Cornish potato growers. Cornish potatoes that will be served alongside other locally sourced produce at the event.
Story published: Sat 21 Jun 08 10:01
sábado, 21 de junio de 2008
Periodista britanica adora Arequipa, Peru.
Arequipa, Peru: My kind of town
Lucy Beresford
Last Updated: 11:12AM BST 02/06/2008 Comments 3 Have Your Say
Writer and broadcaster Lucy Beresford loves the Peruvian city of Arequipa for its high-altitude setting, colonial architecture and mouthwatering markets.
Why Arequipa?
It's not just the altitude – Arequipa is almost 8,000ft high – that gets me buzzing. It's where I "grew up", in the sense that I spent my student gap year here in the Eighties. Now I return regularly. Arequipa glows with colonial buildings of sillar, a pale, volcanic rock, and is surrounded by canyons, caves, and volcanoes, which are fantastic for hiking, rafting and hot springs.
What do you miss most when you're away?
The quality of light; the three dramatic volcanoes dominating the city – including El Misti, which is still active – and alfajores – scrumptious shortbread-style biscuits.
What's the first thing you do when you return?
I have to have a toasted chicken mayonnaise sandwich at my student haunt, Manolos (Mercaderes 107-113) to nourish my inner adolescent. Then I walk one block south to the Plaza de Armas to gaze at the cathedral and admire the women in brightly coloured national dress selling their woven goods, or gossiping in the sun.
Where's the best place to stay?
La Posada del Puente (Esq. Puente Grau/Av. Bolognesi 101; 0051 54 253132; www.posadadelpuente.com; doubles from £46). A five-minute stroll across the bridge from the old town, this boutique hotel is charming and peaceful. Enjoy your breakfast papaya surrounded by llamas cropping the grass.
Where would you meet friends for a drink?
Peru's national drink is pisco (a type of brandy), and the best places to try pisco sours are the bars in and around pretty Plaza de San Francisco, such as Las Quenas (Santa Catalina 302; 281115), which also offers live Andean music (peña). More centrally, the terrace at the Sonesta Posada del Inca hotel is pricier, but it does offer superb views of the cathedral and Plaza de Armas (both illuminated at night).
Where are your favourite places for lunch?
If not Manolos, then I would go to one of the cute cafés in the lane behind the cathedral. They vary in quality (and change names regularly), but the setting is peaceful.
And for dinner?
An outside table at Tradición Arequipeña (Av. Dolores 111; 426467; reservations recommended) in the Paucarpata area. Eat Peruvian delicacies such as cuy (guinea pig), ceviche (fish marinated in lime juice), or adobo (a rich pork stew). Or join well-heeled locals lapping up the Italian/Arequipeñan food of La Trattoria del Monasterio (Santa Catalina 309; 204062). Its rocotos rellenos (stuffed peppers) are divine.
Where would you send a first-time visitor?
A morning at San Camilo market where, among other mouth-watering food, you'll see some of the 2,500 varieties of potato native to Peru. An afternoon at Monasterio de Santa Catalina (Santa Catalina 301). Actually a working convent, this "city within a city" is rich in atmosphere. Then sundowners at Mirador de Yanahuara, a historic square with a sillar wall of engraved arches through which you can look over the entire city.
What would you tell them to avoid?
Sacrilegious, I know, but the cathedral's disappointingly bare interior is missable.
Public transport or taxi?
The old city, based on a grid, is ideal for walking. However, taxis are cheap: only 50p from the centre of town to the slick shopping malls in the suburb of Cayma.
Handbag or moneybelt?
Since it's vital to keep an eye on your belongings, moneybelts can make you feel more confident. Beware of scams involving people asking you for directions.
What should I take home?
Resist a set of Pan pipes. Instead, revel in Arequipa's wide range of leather, silver, and woollen goods, such as alpaca fingerless gloves, tapestries or high-quality reproductions of 17th-century Cuzco School paintings.
And if I've only time for one shop?
Patio del Ekeko (Mercaderes 141) because of its central location, and wide range of stylish yet inexpensive Peruvian handicrafts.
Lucy Beresford
Last Updated: 11:12AM BST 02/06/2008 Comments 3 Have Your Say
Writer and broadcaster Lucy Beresford loves the Peruvian city of Arequipa for its high-altitude setting, colonial architecture and mouthwatering markets.
Why Arequipa?
It's not just the altitude – Arequipa is almost 8,000ft high – that gets me buzzing. It's where I "grew up", in the sense that I spent my student gap year here in the Eighties. Now I return regularly. Arequipa glows with colonial buildings of sillar, a pale, volcanic rock, and is surrounded by canyons, caves, and volcanoes, which are fantastic for hiking, rafting and hot springs.
What do you miss most when you're away?
The quality of light; the three dramatic volcanoes dominating the city – including El Misti, which is still active – and alfajores – scrumptious shortbread-style biscuits.
What's the first thing you do when you return?
I have to have a toasted chicken mayonnaise sandwich at my student haunt, Manolos (Mercaderes 107-113) to nourish my inner adolescent. Then I walk one block south to the Plaza de Armas to gaze at the cathedral and admire the women in brightly coloured national dress selling their woven goods, or gossiping in the sun.
Where's the best place to stay?
La Posada del Puente (Esq. Puente Grau/Av. Bolognesi 101; 0051 54 253132; www.posadadelpuente.com; doubles from £46). A five-minute stroll across the bridge from the old town, this boutique hotel is charming and peaceful. Enjoy your breakfast papaya surrounded by llamas cropping the grass.
Where would you meet friends for a drink?
Peru's national drink is pisco (a type of brandy), and the best places to try pisco sours are the bars in and around pretty Plaza de San Francisco, such as Las Quenas (Santa Catalina 302; 281115), which also offers live Andean music (peña). More centrally, the terrace at the Sonesta Posada del Inca hotel is pricier, but it does offer superb views of the cathedral and Plaza de Armas (both illuminated at night).
Where are your favourite places for lunch?
If not Manolos, then I would go to one of the cute cafés in the lane behind the cathedral. They vary in quality (and change names regularly), but the setting is peaceful.
And for dinner?
An outside table at Tradición Arequipeña (Av. Dolores 111; 426467; reservations recommended) in the Paucarpata area. Eat Peruvian delicacies such as cuy (guinea pig), ceviche (fish marinated in lime juice), or adobo (a rich pork stew). Or join well-heeled locals lapping up the Italian/Arequipeñan food of La Trattoria del Monasterio (Santa Catalina 309; 204062). Its rocotos rellenos (stuffed peppers) are divine.
Where would you send a first-time visitor?
A morning at San Camilo market where, among other mouth-watering food, you'll see some of the 2,500 varieties of potato native to Peru. An afternoon at Monasterio de Santa Catalina (Santa Catalina 301). Actually a working convent, this "city within a city" is rich in atmosphere. Then sundowners at Mirador de Yanahuara, a historic square with a sillar wall of engraved arches through which you can look over the entire city.
What would you tell them to avoid?
Sacrilegious, I know, but the cathedral's disappointingly bare interior is missable.
Public transport or taxi?
The old city, based on a grid, is ideal for walking. However, taxis are cheap: only 50p from the centre of town to the slick shopping malls in the suburb of Cayma.
Handbag or moneybelt?
Since it's vital to keep an eye on your belongings, moneybelts can make you feel more confident. Beware of scams involving people asking you for directions.
What should I take home?
Resist a set of Pan pipes. Instead, revel in Arequipa's wide range of leather, silver, and woollen goods, such as alpaca fingerless gloves, tapestries or high-quality reproductions of 17th-century Cuzco School paintings.
And if I've only time for one shop?
Patio del Ekeko (Mercaderes 141) because of its central location, and wide range of stylish yet inexpensive Peruvian handicrafts.
viernes, 20 de junio de 2008
La Feria en Pensilvania ofrece productos Peruanos que encantan
Dining Review: La Feria serves a variation on traditional South American cuisine
Thursday, May 29, 2008
By China Millman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Bob Donaldson/Post-Gazette
Many people are surprised to discover that La Feria is a restaurant. Not only is it located above popular breakfast-joint Pamela's in Shadyside, but part of this restaurant is surrounded by racks of clothing, stacks of beautifully painted boxes, mirrors and frames, and pieces of art and jewelry.
Luisa Porras, who co-owns La Feria with Pamela's owner Pam Cohen, started the establishment as both a place to sell Peruvian arts and crafts that she brought back from visits to Lima, and a place to serve a style of food inspired by Peruvian traditions and ingredients.
This isn't strictly authentic Peruvian cuisine. For one thing, Peru is known for its seafood, and La Feria serves almost none. La Feria's success lies in adapting Peruvian cuisine to fit within the constraints of a small kitchen, and a dining room that is also a store.
The basis of the menu is a set of ingredients that play important roles in Peruvian cuisine. Some, like tomatoes, potatoes and aji peppers (a species of chile pepper), are indigenous to the area and were introduced to Europe by the Spanish after they conquered the Incas in the 16th century. Others, like cilantro and onions, were introduced to the Incas by the Spanish.
You can order salads, soup and sandwiches, or one or two of the day's specials served with fluffy garlic rice, a La Feria salad and some relatively lackluster French bread. The salad consists of hearty romaine lettuce, onions, walnuts, olives, a few tomatoes, and shredded Swiss cheese. Though the mix of flavors doesn't sound appealing, it works surprisingly well on the plate.
The soups are sometimes unusual, and always exceptionally well made (cup, $3.50: bowl, $4.25). In blue cheese and pumpkin soup, the salty richness of the cheese brought a liveliness to the smooth warmth of pumpkin. A red pepper and tomato bisque was perfectly balanced. Cream exerted itself in a hint of richness that tempered the acidity of peppers and tomatoes without concealing their flavors. Neat, small chunks of red pepper and onion added texture to the smooth, sweet base.
The menu offers minimal starters, but the sweet potato chips with an addictive huancaina dip (small, $3.50; large, $5.25) are an ideal way to start a meal. Crisp and sweet and not at all greasy, they will stimulate, rather than overwhelm, the appetite. The slightly sweet and sour dip is made from cottage cheese and assorted spices. Empanadas ($3.50) have fillings that are typical of Peruvian cuisine, such as the braised beef and raisin, alongside variations like spinach and feta, or ham and cheese.
One popular sandwich, Ropa Vieja, is actually a traditional Cuban dish. French bread is filled with an aromatic mixture of shredded beef with tomatoes and onions. The tomatoes have become dehydrated and are incredibly soft and sweet, and the onions have practically melted into the beef. Toasted bread would make this sandwich a bit better, since the fresh bread has a tendency to get a little soggy.
La Feria specials are all things that can be made in advance, then held or reheated without a loss in flavor or texture. Chicken is a frequent protein, but a wide variety of accents and techniques dress it up. In Pollo con Frutas, it was braised with a variety of dried fruits, including raisins and whole apricots whose sweetness permeated the whole dish.
Seared chicken breasts appeared with a doubly tart sauce, huancaina with a layer of cilantro pesto. Cilantro also played a dominant role in Ceviche de Pollo. Ceviche is a Peruvian dish in which raw fish is marinated in lemon juice and becomes slightly cooked by the acidity; here, chicken is marinated in lemon and cilantro, which later becomes a bright, aromatic sauce for the tender, shredded meat.
Other rotating specials might include dishes such as Cerdo Con Pallares, ground pork sauteed in an aji pepper sauce and tossed with butter beans; or Arroz Tapado, layered shredded spicy beef and rice casserole.
Vegetarian dishes demonstrate similar principles of success. A base set of ingredients is used to create a wide variety of offerings that are influenced by a variety of South American cuisines as well as traditional Peruvian fare.
Frejoles del Sur is a spicy pumpkin and black bean stew. The vegetal sweetness of the pumpkin combined with the smooth flavors of the black beans resulted in a dish that was intensely savory. Though some of the basic ingredients were the same, Tacu Locro was both a bit richer and a little less intense.
This dish seems to be an interesting take on the Peruvian dish Tacu Tacu, which is made from seasoned beans and rice and plentiful aji paste, and the Argentinean dish Locro, which is made from corn, beef, sausage and vegetables, often including onions, beans, and pumpkin. Here, pumpkin and rice were combined with peas, corn and cheese into a light, fluffy casserole described as a "souffle."
Previous visits provided pleasant memories of Mote Chorreado, Peruvian corn with fresh tomatoes in a spicy cheese sauce. Peruvian corn is similar to hominy, and dishes at La Feria do a splendid job of showcasing its fluffy yet toothsome charms. Another memorable dish was Pastel de Quinua, in which this slightly chewy, nutty grain is layered with cheeses and Peruvian hot peppers.
La Feria's rotating menu and set plates, as well as the clean-up friendly tile floor and bare tables, can give it a cafeteria-like aura that undermines its charm. At the same time, the casual atmosphere makes this a very family-friendly restaurant. And it's likely that keeping decor down to bare essentials (and letting the merchandise have pride of place) helps keep La Feria's prices low.
The service is a similar combination of friendly and casual. It's heartfelt enough -- they'll ask if you need more water, clear plates and bring more silverware. But servers here always seem to suffer from a mild case of confusion, as if they're not entirely sure what they are supposed to be doing. Taken in stride, it can be a relief from predatory servers often found at "fancy restaurants," where dessert menus are wielded like weapons. At La Feria, you'll never feel pressured to order more than you want, or to hurry up and finish your meal.
If you want to linger, a cup of Peruvian coffee (organic, $1.95) and one or two alfajores ($2.25) are a fantastic combination. This traditional Peruvian sandwich cookie is filled with gooey, luscious dulce de leche. It's sweet but small, and I preferred it to the chocolate cake ($3.95) and bread pudding ($4.25), both of which were a bit on the too-sweet side and came with the dreaded pile of whipped cream from an aerosol can.
Another thing that makes La Feria popular? It's BYOB and doesn't even charge a corkage -- though it's also one of those rare restaurants that offers some non-alcoholic drinks that are definitely worth ordering. The house-made lemonade and limeade ($1.95) are fantastic and pair extremely well with the food.
Restaurant critic China Millman can be reached at cmillman@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1198.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
By China Millman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Bob Donaldson/Post-Gazette
Many people are surprised to discover that La Feria is a restaurant. Not only is it located above popular breakfast-joint Pamela's in Shadyside, but part of this restaurant is surrounded by racks of clothing, stacks of beautifully painted boxes, mirrors and frames, and pieces of art and jewelry.
Luisa Porras, who co-owns La Feria with Pamela's owner Pam Cohen, started the establishment as both a place to sell Peruvian arts and crafts that she brought back from visits to Lima, and a place to serve a style of food inspired by Peruvian traditions and ingredients.
This isn't strictly authentic Peruvian cuisine. For one thing, Peru is known for its seafood, and La Feria serves almost none. La Feria's success lies in adapting Peruvian cuisine to fit within the constraints of a small kitchen, and a dining room that is also a store.
The basis of the menu is a set of ingredients that play important roles in Peruvian cuisine. Some, like tomatoes, potatoes and aji peppers (a species of chile pepper), are indigenous to the area and were introduced to Europe by the Spanish after they conquered the Incas in the 16th century. Others, like cilantro and onions, were introduced to the Incas by the Spanish.
You can order salads, soup and sandwiches, or one or two of the day's specials served with fluffy garlic rice, a La Feria salad and some relatively lackluster French bread. The salad consists of hearty romaine lettuce, onions, walnuts, olives, a few tomatoes, and shredded Swiss cheese. Though the mix of flavors doesn't sound appealing, it works surprisingly well on the plate.
The soups are sometimes unusual, and always exceptionally well made (cup, $3.50: bowl, $4.25). In blue cheese and pumpkin soup, the salty richness of the cheese brought a liveliness to the smooth warmth of pumpkin. A red pepper and tomato bisque was perfectly balanced. Cream exerted itself in a hint of richness that tempered the acidity of peppers and tomatoes without concealing their flavors. Neat, small chunks of red pepper and onion added texture to the smooth, sweet base.
The menu offers minimal starters, but the sweet potato chips with an addictive huancaina dip (small, $3.50; large, $5.25) are an ideal way to start a meal. Crisp and sweet and not at all greasy, they will stimulate, rather than overwhelm, the appetite. The slightly sweet and sour dip is made from cottage cheese and assorted spices. Empanadas ($3.50) have fillings that are typical of Peruvian cuisine, such as the braised beef and raisin, alongside variations like spinach and feta, or ham and cheese.
One popular sandwich, Ropa Vieja, is actually a traditional Cuban dish. French bread is filled with an aromatic mixture of shredded beef with tomatoes and onions. The tomatoes have become dehydrated and are incredibly soft and sweet, and the onions have practically melted into the beef. Toasted bread would make this sandwich a bit better, since the fresh bread has a tendency to get a little soggy.
La Feria specials are all things that can be made in advance, then held or reheated without a loss in flavor or texture. Chicken is a frequent protein, but a wide variety of accents and techniques dress it up. In Pollo con Frutas, it was braised with a variety of dried fruits, including raisins and whole apricots whose sweetness permeated the whole dish.
Seared chicken breasts appeared with a doubly tart sauce, huancaina with a layer of cilantro pesto. Cilantro also played a dominant role in Ceviche de Pollo. Ceviche is a Peruvian dish in which raw fish is marinated in lemon juice and becomes slightly cooked by the acidity; here, chicken is marinated in lemon and cilantro, which later becomes a bright, aromatic sauce for the tender, shredded meat.
Other rotating specials might include dishes such as Cerdo Con Pallares, ground pork sauteed in an aji pepper sauce and tossed with butter beans; or Arroz Tapado, layered shredded spicy beef and rice casserole.
Vegetarian dishes demonstrate similar principles of success. A base set of ingredients is used to create a wide variety of offerings that are influenced by a variety of South American cuisines as well as traditional Peruvian fare.
Frejoles del Sur is a spicy pumpkin and black bean stew. The vegetal sweetness of the pumpkin combined with the smooth flavors of the black beans resulted in a dish that was intensely savory. Though some of the basic ingredients were the same, Tacu Locro was both a bit richer and a little less intense.
This dish seems to be an interesting take on the Peruvian dish Tacu Tacu, which is made from seasoned beans and rice and plentiful aji paste, and the Argentinean dish Locro, which is made from corn, beef, sausage and vegetables, often including onions, beans, and pumpkin. Here, pumpkin and rice were combined with peas, corn and cheese into a light, fluffy casserole described as a "souffle."
Previous visits provided pleasant memories of Mote Chorreado, Peruvian corn with fresh tomatoes in a spicy cheese sauce. Peruvian corn is similar to hominy, and dishes at La Feria do a splendid job of showcasing its fluffy yet toothsome charms. Another memorable dish was Pastel de Quinua, in which this slightly chewy, nutty grain is layered with cheeses and Peruvian hot peppers.
La Feria's rotating menu and set plates, as well as the clean-up friendly tile floor and bare tables, can give it a cafeteria-like aura that undermines its charm. At the same time, the casual atmosphere makes this a very family-friendly restaurant. And it's likely that keeping decor down to bare essentials (and letting the merchandise have pride of place) helps keep La Feria's prices low.
The service is a similar combination of friendly and casual. It's heartfelt enough -- they'll ask if you need more water, clear plates and bring more silverware. But servers here always seem to suffer from a mild case of confusion, as if they're not entirely sure what they are supposed to be doing. Taken in stride, it can be a relief from predatory servers often found at "fancy restaurants," where dessert menus are wielded like weapons. At La Feria, you'll never feel pressured to order more than you want, or to hurry up and finish your meal.
If you want to linger, a cup of Peruvian coffee (organic, $1.95) and one or two alfajores ($2.25) are a fantastic combination. This traditional Peruvian sandwich cookie is filled with gooey, luscious dulce de leche. It's sweet but small, and I preferred it to the chocolate cake ($3.95) and bread pudding ($4.25), both of which were a bit on the too-sweet side and came with the dreaded pile of whipped cream from an aerosol can.
Another thing that makes La Feria popular? It's BYOB and doesn't even charge a corkage -- though it's also one of those rare restaurants that offers some non-alcoholic drinks that are definitely worth ordering. The house-made lemonade and limeade ($1.95) are fantastic and pair extremely well with the food.
Restaurant critic China Millman can be reached at cmillman@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1198.
Crean bebida energizante en Malasia en base de maca peruana
Extremen Premium Beverage: Using Maca and Ginseng to Create a Different Kind of Energy Drink
Taiping, Malaysia (PRunderground) June 10, 2008 – Over the past few months, consumers worldwide have started reach for a new kind of energy drink. By using a combination of both maca and ginseng, the people behind ENC Worldwide Marketing have come with a natural health drink that’s not only effective, but satisfying as well.
While almost everyone has heard of ginseng, maca is a little less known. The small radish-like plant, which grows in upper regions of the Peruvian mountains, has been found to increase energy, libido, sexual function and stamina. Maca has been approved by both the Ministry of Health and the FDA, which makes maca perfect for use in health and energy drinks.
“Our sales have really started to take off,” says Marketing Director, Richard Yew. “In fact, we’re in the process of looking for new sales agents from all around the world to partner with us.”
Extremen Premium Beverage has obtained HALAL Certifications, ISO 9001:2000 and BS EN ISO 9001:2000 for High Quality Management, as well as product liability by the Allianz Insurance Company.
To learn more about ENC Worldwide Marketing’s Extremen Premium Beverage distribution service and programs, please visit: http://www.extremen.com.my/
Taiping, Malaysia (PRunderground) June 10, 2008 – Over the past few months, consumers worldwide have started reach for a new kind of energy drink. By using a combination of both maca and ginseng, the people behind ENC Worldwide Marketing have come with a natural health drink that’s not only effective, but satisfying as well.
While almost everyone has heard of ginseng, maca is a little less known. The small radish-like plant, which grows in upper regions of the Peruvian mountains, has been found to increase energy, libido, sexual function and stamina. Maca has been approved by both the Ministry of Health and the FDA, which makes maca perfect for use in health and energy drinks.
“Our sales have really started to take off,” says Marketing Director, Richard Yew. “In fact, we’re in the process of looking for new sales agents from all around the world to partner with us.”
Extremen Premium Beverage has obtained HALAL Certifications, ISO 9001:2000 and BS EN ISO 9001:2000 for High Quality Management, as well as product liability by the Allianz Insurance Company.
To learn more about ENC Worldwide Marketing’s Extremen Premium Beverage distribution service and programs, please visit: http://www.extremen.com.my/
Minera China duplicara tamano de mina de Marcona con inversion de 1 Billon de dolares
June 21, 2008
Shougang plan to double Peruvian mine output
Interfax China quoted China's Ministry of Commerce in an announcement said that Shougang Hierro Peru SAA, a Peru based Shougang subsidiary will begin development of new mining zones at Marcona in Peru to double its annual iron ore production which will require investment of USD 1 billion.According to the released, Shougang Hierro plans to construct an ore processing plant and a 3 million tonne pellet plant at the mine which would in turn double its annual capacity of iron ore.Mr Wu Bin president of Shougang Hierro said the company intends to first increase iron ore production by 8 million tonnes and then reach final annual production capacity of 20 million tonnes within four years.Shougang officials were not available for comment when reached by Interfax today.
Shougang plan to double Peruvian mine output
Interfax China quoted China's Ministry of Commerce in an announcement said that Shougang Hierro Peru SAA, a Peru based Shougang subsidiary will begin development of new mining zones at Marcona in Peru to double its annual iron ore production which will require investment of USD 1 billion.According to the released, Shougang Hierro plans to construct an ore processing plant and a 3 million tonne pellet plant at the mine which would in turn double its annual capacity of iron ore.Mr Wu Bin president of Shougang Hierro said the company intends to first increase iron ore production by 8 million tonnes and then reach final annual production capacity of 20 million tonnes within four years.Shougang officials were not available for comment when reached by Interfax today.
La papa es peruana!!
Potato expert sure knows her stuff
Posted 7 hours ago
Letter to the editor:
This year is the year of the potato and who is better qualified to talk about the potato than Dr. Eugenia Banks? Dr. Banks is Ontario's potato specialist working for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. On May 27, Dr. Banks was guest speaker at the Champlain Senior Service Club's ladies day event, held at Hawk Ridge Golf and Country Club.
Dr. Banks began her talk by stating the fact that she loved her job and looked forward to every working day. Dr. Banks moved to Canada from Chile, her homeland, and she speaks with a delightful Spanish accent. She graduated from the University of Chile with a bachelor of science degree and came to the University of Guelph where she attained her Msc. and later her Ph. D.
She illustrated her talk with pictures and began by going into the history of the potato going back some 7,000 years to the mountain slopesof Peru. Dr. Banksthen brought us forward in time to the Middle Ages when the potato was introduced into Europe and finally to today, and the importance of the potato to our food intake and to our economy.
In the early part of the year she works in a warehouse near the town of Alliston which is in the heart of the potato belt. Here she assesses new varieties looking for any that may have the tendency for early sprouting, a condition that is undesirable. Once the weather warms up, she is then focused on planting and for her it is a hands-on activity. When she took her leave of us, it was to return to her farm plot and continue planting since the weather so far has not co-operated with her project.
Dr. Banks listed different varieties for specific uses. For example, Superior, a red potato is ideal for potato salads while Cecile is best for finger food. She went on to mention the superior quality of some of the new blue potatoes.
One point that she emphasized was the nutrient loss when potatoes are boiled. She stated that if this procedure was necessary, then the water now containing nutrients should be saved and used in soups.
Following her talk, there was a brief question and answer period but this did not end there. She was constantly approached by ladies on a one-on-one basis.
After lunch, we saw her out to a large white Ministry of Agriculture van which was a cross between a storage shed and a workshop. It was fascinating inside.
It was a great day and we thank you Dr. Banks.
Bill Keller
Posted 7 hours ago
Letter to the editor:
This year is the year of the potato and who is better qualified to talk about the potato than Dr. Eugenia Banks? Dr. Banks is Ontario's potato specialist working for the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. On May 27, Dr. Banks was guest speaker at the Champlain Senior Service Club's ladies day event, held at Hawk Ridge Golf and Country Club.
Dr. Banks began her talk by stating the fact that she loved her job and looked forward to every working day. Dr. Banks moved to Canada from Chile, her homeland, and she speaks with a delightful Spanish accent. She graduated from the University of Chile with a bachelor of science degree and came to the University of Guelph where she attained her Msc. and later her Ph. D.
She illustrated her talk with pictures and began by going into the history of the potato going back some 7,000 years to the mountain slopesof Peru. Dr. Banksthen brought us forward in time to the Middle Ages when the potato was introduced into Europe and finally to today, and the importance of the potato to our food intake and to our economy.
In the early part of the year she works in a warehouse near the town of Alliston which is in the heart of the potato belt. Here she assesses new varieties looking for any that may have the tendency for early sprouting, a condition that is undesirable. Once the weather warms up, she is then focused on planting and for her it is a hands-on activity. When she took her leave of us, it was to return to her farm plot and continue planting since the weather so far has not co-operated with her project.
Dr. Banks listed different varieties for specific uses. For example, Superior, a red potato is ideal for potato salads while Cecile is best for finger food. She went on to mention the superior quality of some of the new blue potatoes.
One point that she emphasized was the nutrient loss when potatoes are boiled. She stated that if this procedure was necessary, then the water now containing nutrients should be saved and used in soups.
Following her talk, there was a brief question and answer period but this did not end there. She was constantly approached by ladies on a one-on-one basis.
After lunch, we saw her out to a large white Ministry of Agriculture van which was a cross between a storage shed and a workshop. It was fascinating inside.
It was a great day and we thank you Dr. Banks.
Bill Keller
Maravillados por el Camino Inca
June 19, 2008 -- Updated 1503 GMT (2303 HKT)
Inca Trail: Heavy load for porters
Story Highlights
WARMIWANUSCA, Peru (AP) -- Porters on the famed Inca Trail trek to the jungle-shrouded ruins of Machu Picchu recall the fleet-footed chasqui -- Inca messengers who darted over the vast road network of South America's most powerful empire.
Chewing wads of stimulating coca leaves and trading quips in Quechua, the ancient language of the Incas, they sprint up the centuries-old, ruin-dotted path at dizzying heights in the Andes.
But instead of carrying news or fresh seafood delicacies from the coast, they haul propane tanks, camping equipment and four days of food for wealthy tourists from worlds away -- all for as little as $8 a day.
Peruvian law permits only 500 people to set out each day on the Inca Trail to Peru's top tourist destination, Machu Picchu -- and nearly 300 of them are porters. Many complain that they are underpaid for their backbreaking labor.
Tourism to the ancient Inca ruins is booming. Some 140,000 people -- tourists, porters, guides and cooks -- did the hike in 2007, compared with fewer than 20,000 in 1998, according to park director Fernando Astete.
Peruvian law requires visitors to pay for a guided, catered tour, and what was once a backpackers' trek now costs at least $420.
But travelers be warned: pay much less -- guides in Cuzco offer trips for as low as $350 -- and the tour operator is likely cutting corners, at the expense of those who make the arduous, high-altitude trek accessible to so many -- the Indian porters.
Despite the low pay, the jobs are highly coveted in the poor, rural Andean region.
"It's hard work, but without tourism there would be no jobs," Faustino Quispe, a porter with Continental Tours, told me when I caught up with him on a stretch of steep stone steps.
The pay is "very little, just enough for our families," said Quispe, a wiry man of 34 with a weathered face that makes him look closer to 50. The money helps supplement the food they are able to harvest from their small plots in the Sacred Valley.
The camping equipment slung in a blue tarp from his shoulders dwarfed my backpack, yet I struggled to keep up with him as he and his crew raced to set up camp ahead of their group of hikers.
A 2003 law mandated a minimum wage for porters roughly equivalent to $15 a day, with a load no more than 57 pounds. That created a slight improvement in porters' pay and working conditions.
"Everything has changed in the past 10 years," Flabio Letona, a porter on my trek with Llama Path tour agency, told me as we rested at our campsite on the trail.
Through a mouthful of coca leaves -- chewed to ward off altitude sickness and fatigue -- Letona told me that he started working as a porter in the 1990s and still hauls cargo on the knee-crunching 20-mile trail at the age of 55.
Letona, like many other porters, is from the Sacred Valley, where locals live humbly off small plots of land in the shadow of several major Inca sites. He proudly told me that his children learn to read and write in their native Quechua language at the local public school.
"Before, we were carrying 130 to 150 pounds and making 15 nuevo soles a day," he said, a sum roughly equivalent to $4.50 in the late 1990s.
But a fair wage and working conditions are the exception on the trail.
I caught up to Victor, 22, as he labored alone on the final ascent to Warmiwanusca, Quechua for "Dead Woman's Pass," the grisly name for the trail's highest point at 13,779 feet.
He refused to give me his full name because he said his employer -- Inca Trail Peru -- has fired porters in the past for talking to tourists about conditions and pay.
The Sacred Valley native said he was carrying over-regulation weight -- 66 pounds -- for $9 dollars a day and complained bitterly about not getting enough food.
Unlike porters with other agencies, Victor didn't have a water bottle and his dry, cracked toes jutted out from the end of worn-down sandals, covered in dust from the trail.
Jorge Villasante, Peru's vice labor minister, acknowledges that enforcing the 2003 law is a problem.
The Labor Ministry's inspections of the trail in June of 2007 found that some 80 percent of tour agencies were violating the law -- their porters had overloaded packs, inadequate food rations and poor sleeping conditions.
"Every agency reports that they pay their workers the minimum wage, but we know from talking to porters that many receive only $8 or $9," Villasante said in an interview.
But Villasante believes weigh stations at the start of the trail and fines of up to $1,100 for tour operators that violate the law are slowly improving porters' conditions.
Jose Antonio Gongora, 39, founder of Llama Path tour agency, believes it is up to tour operators themselves to improve porters' conditions, rather than relying on what he calls a corrupt and inefficient government.
Gongora started on the trail as a porter in 1992, working his way up the ranks to a guide, before founding his own agency in 2004.
Porters frequently carry 90 pounds because their employer knows workers at the weigh station, Gongora said.
He said the money from fines should be used to help exploited porters.
"Why not force a company that is operating incorrectly to use the fine to buy clothes for all of their porters?" Gongora told me back in the Llama Path office in Cuzco.
Llama Path and SAS Travel were the only agencies I saw on the trail that outfit their porters with matching sport-grade uniforms and hiking boots.
Llama Path porters were also the only ones I spoke to who receive medical insurance. Porter Letona proudly told me that he injured his right foot hiking the trail last year but didn't pay a dime for treatment.
In the past, when they got hurt working for other agencies, the companies would say "See you," Fredy Condori, 31, Llama Path's head porter, said as he displayed his staff's medical insurance forms.
"The food was terrible," Condori said, recalling his past experiences. "In four days we didn't eat much and when we slept on the ground the water seeped through. It was a disaster."
Condori, who is the representative of Llama Path's workers in a 6,000-strong porter union based in Cuzco, said such conditions are still common on the trail.
Llama Path is trying to change that culture and turn the work of a porter into a stable, protected occupation. Gongora and Condori have trained some 85 porters to hike on fixed rotations, bought them medical insurance and worked to improve food rations and sleeping conditions.
"The idea is to humanize the work" and to "provoke change in other agencies," Gongora said.
But such an operational shift isn't easy, or cheap. "It requires a lot of money," Gongora said, adding that Llama Path wasn't able to change its operations and improve porter conditions until this year, its fifth.
"For a porter there's no rain, no sun and no cold, so we have to do all we can to provide them with the facilities and conditions they need," Gongora said.
If you go ...
Charging slightly higher prices, several tour operators in Cuzco give their porters fair working conditions and take steps to protect the fragile ecosystem in the scenic Andean region where they operate. Be sure to book early for the classic, four-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, as park entry permits are currently sold out through September.
Some recommendations include:
LLAMA PATH: Calle San Juan de Dios 250, Cuzco, 011-51-84-240-822, http://www.llamapath.com. A relatively new agency founded by former porter Jose Antonio Gongora and his British wife Michelle. Provides friendly local guides and generous helpings of tasty food, along with excellent conditions and medical benefits for their porter staff. Standard four-day trek on Inca Trail, $420 (price does not include: sleeping bag rental, trekking pole, personal porter, tip).
PERUVIAN ANDEAN TREKS: Avenida Pardo 705, Cuzco, 011-51-84 225701, http://www.peru-planet.net. A well-established U.S.-based tour operator offering group and custom tours throughout South America. High-quality, reliable tours with good treatment for porters and staff. A basic four-day trek on the Inca trail is $595 (includes personal porter, does not include sleeping bag rental, tip or trek permit, around $75).
PERU TREKS: Avenida Pardo 540, Cuzco, 011-51-84-222-722, http://www.perutreks.com. A family-run agency specializing in Inca trail treks and cultural homestays in local Quechua-speaking villages. Excellent porter treatment. Profits support local community projects such as clothing donations and the construction of schools in two rural Andean villages. Four-day Inca Trail, $425 (does not include sleeping bag rental, personal porter, tip).
ENIGMA ADVENTURE TOUR OPERATOR: Jiron Clorinda Matto de Turner 100, Cuzco, 011-51-84-222-155, http://www.enigmaperu.com/. Spanish-owned agency offering Inca trail, mountain-biking and river rafting trips as well as alternative travel opportunities including ayahuasca therapy (a plant used to make a drink for healing ceremonies) and visits to traditional Andean weaving communities. Well-organized, responsible treks with good equipment. Standard four-day Inca Trail, $528 (does not include some camping equipment rental, personal porter, tip).
E-mail to a friend
Inca Trail: Heavy load for porters
Story Highlights
WARMIWANUSCA, Peru (AP) -- Porters on the famed Inca Trail trek to the jungle-shrouded ruins of Machu Picchu recall the fleet-footed chasqui -- Inca messengers who darted over the vast road network of South America's most powerful empire.
Chewing wads of stimulating coca leaves and trading quips in Quechua, the ancient language of the Incas, they sprint up the centuries-old, ruin-dotted path at dizzying heights in the Andes.
But instead of carrying news or fresh seafood delicacies from the coast, they haul propane tanks, camping equipment and four days of food for wealthy tourists from worlds away -- all for as little as $8 a day.
Peruvian law permits only 500 people to set out each day on the Inca Trail to Peru's top tourist destination, Machu Picchu -- and nearly 300 of them are porters. Many complain that they are underpaid for their backbreaking labor.
Tourism to the ancient Inca ruins is booming. Some 140,000 people -- tourists, porters, guides and cooks -- did the hike in 2007, compared with fewer than 20,000 in 1998, according to park director Fernando Astete.
Peruvian law requires visitors to pay for a guided, catered tour, and what was once a backpackers' trek now costs at least $420.
But travelers be warned: pay much less -- guides in Cuzco offer trips for as low as $350 -- and the tour operator is likely cutting corners, at the expense of those who make the arduous, high-altitude trek accessible to so many -- the Indian porters.
Despite the low pay, the jobs are highly coveted in the poor, rural Andean region.
"It's hard work, but without tourism there would be no jobs," Faustino Quispe, a porter with Continental Tours, told me when I caught up with him on a stretch of steep stone steps.
The pay is "very little, just enough for our families," said Quispe, a wiry man of 34 with a weathered face that makes him look closer to 50. The money helps supplement the food they are able to harvest from their small plots in the Sacred Valley.
The camping equipment slung in a blue tarp from his shoulders dwarfed my backpack, yet I struggled to keep up with him as he and his crew raced to set up camp ahead of their group of hikers.
A 2003 law mandated a minimum wage for porters roughly equivalent to $15 a day, with a load no more than 57 pounds. That created a slight improvement in porters' pay and working conditions.
"Everything has changed in the past 10 years," Flabio Letona, a porter on my trek with Llama Path tour agency, told me as we rested at our campsite on the trail.
Through a mouthful of coca leaves -- chewed to ward off altitude sickness and fatigue -- Letona told me that he started working as a porter in the 1990s and still hauls cargo on the knee-crunching 20-mile trail at the age of 55.
Letona, like many other porters, is from the Sacred Valley, where locals live humbly off small plots of land in the shadow of several major Inca sites. He proudly told me that his children learn to read and write in their native Quechua language at the local public school.
"Before, we were carrying 130 to 150 pounds and making 15 nuevo soles a day," he said, a sum roughly equivalent to $4.50 in the late 1990s.
But a fair wage and working conditions are the exception on the trail.
I caught up to Victor, 22, as he labored alone on the final ascent to Warmiwanusca, Quechua for "Dead Woman's Pass," the grisly name for the trail's highest point at 13,779 feet.
He refused to give me his full name because he said his employer -- Inca Trail Peru -- has fired porters in the past for talking to tourists about conditions and pay.
The Sacred Valley native said he was carrying over-regulation weight -- 66 pounds -- for $9 dollars a day and complained bitterly about not getting enough food.
Unlike porters with other agencies, Victor didn't have a water bottle and his dry, cracked toes jutted out from the end of worn-down sandals, covered in dust from the trail.
Jorge Villasante, Peru's vice labor minister, acknowledges that enforcing the 2003 law is a problem.
The Labor Ministry's inspections of the trail in June of 2007 found that some 80 percent of tour agencies were violating the law -- their porters had overloaded packs, inadequate food rations and poor sleeping conditions.
"Every agency reports that they pay their workers the minimum wage, but we know from talking to porters that many receive only $8 or $9," Villasante said in an interview.
But Villasante believes weigh stations at the start of the trail and fines of up to $1,100 for tour operators that violate the law are slowly improving porters' conditions.
Jose Antonio Gongora, 39, founder of Llama Path tour agency, believes it is up to tour operators themselves to improve porters' conditions, rather than relying on what he calls a corrupt and inefficient government.
Gongora started on the trail as a porter in 1992, working his way up the ranks to a guide, before founding his own agency in 2004.
Porters frequently carry 90 pounds because their employer knows workers at the weigh station, Gongora said.
He said the money from fines should be used to help exploited porters.
"Why not force a company that is operating incorrectly to use the fine to buy clothes for all of their porters?" Gongora told me back in the Llama Path office in Cuzco.
Llama Path and SAS Travel were the only agencies I saw on the trail that outfit their porters with matching sport-grade uniforms and hiking boots.
Llama Path porters were also the only ones I spoke to who receive medical insurance. Porter Letona proudly told me that he injured his right foot hiking the trail last year but didn't pay a dime for treatment.
In the past, when they got hurt working for other agencies, the companies would say "See you," Fredy Condori, 31, Llama Path's head porter, said as he displayed his staff's medical insurance forms.
"The food was terrible," Condori said, recalling his past experiences. "In four days we didn't eat much and when we slept on the ground the water seeped through. It was a disaster."
Condori, who is the representative of Llama Path's workers in a 6,000-strong porter union based in Cuzco, said such conditions are still common on the trail.
Llama Path is trying to change that culture and turn the work of a porter into a stable, protected occupation. Gongora and Condori have trained some 85 porters to hike on fixed rotations, bought them medical insurance and worked to improve food rations and sleeping conditions.
"The idea is to humanize the work" and to "provoke change in other agencies," Gongora said.
But such an operational shift isn't easy, or cheap. "It requires a lot of money," Gongora said, adding that Llama Path wasn't able to change its operations and improve porter conditions until this year, its fifth.
"For a porter there's no rain, no sun and no cold, so we have to do all we can to provide them with the facilities and conditions they need," Gongora said.
If you go ...
Charging slightly higher prices, several tour operators in Cuzco give their porters fair working conditions and take steps to protect the fragile ecosystem in the scenic Andean region where they operate. Be sure to book early for the classic, four-day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, as park entry permits are currently sold out through September.
Some recommendations include:
LLAMA PATH: Calle San Juan de Dios 250, Cuzco, 011-51-84-240-822, http://www.llamapath.com. A relatively new agency founded by former porter Jose Antonio Gongora and his British wife Michelle. Provides friendly local guides and generous helpings of tasty food, along with excellent conditions and medical benefits for their porter staff. Standard four-day trek on Inca Trail, $420 (price does not include: sleeping bag rental, trekking pole, personal porter, tip).
PERUVIAN ANDEAN TREKS: Avenida Pardo 705, Cuzco, 011-51-84 225701, http://www.peru-planet.net. A well-established U.S.-based tour operator offering group and custom tours throughout South America. High-quality, reliable tours with good treatment for porters and staff. A basic four-day trek on the Inca trail is $595 (includes personal porter, does not include sleeping bag rental, tip or trek permit, around $75).
PERU TREKS: Avenida Pardo 540, Cuzco, 011-51-84-222-722, http://www.perutreks.com. A family-run agency specializing in Inca trail treks and cultural homestays in local Quechua-speaking villages. Excellent porter treatment. Profits support local community projects such as clothing donations and the construction of schools in two rural Andean villages. Four-day Inca Trail, $425 (does not include sleeping bag rental, personal porter, tip).
ENIGMA ADVENTURE TOUR OPERATOR: Jiron Clorinda Matto de Turner 100, Cuzco, 011-51-84-222-155, http://www.enigmaperu.com/. Spanish-owned agency offering Inca trail, mountain-biking and river rafting trips as well as alternative travel opportunities including ayahuasca therapy (a plant used to make a drink for healing ceremonies) and visits to traditional Andean weaving communities. Well-organized, responsible treks with good equipment. Standard four-day Inca Trail, $528 (does not include some camping equipment rental, personal porter, tip).
E-mail to a friend
Comparan cocina Peruana a la par con la Francesa
Touring South American Cuisine
The Flavors of Chile and Peru (excerpt)
June 2, 2008
-By Kristin V. Montalvo
South America, stretching from Venezuela down to Chile's Cape Horn, is a vast continent with contrasting landscapes, climates, people and cultures. An extensive cross section of ethnic backgrounds influences each country's foods. And although a common thread of ingredients runs throughout these Latin American "foodways," each country's cuisine differs based on its culture and geography. Depending on where you live, you might savor the clean, cool taste of an Ecuadorian ceviche of mixed seafood "cooked" in the tart juice of the Seville orange, mixed with hot chiles and accompanied by toasted corn. Or enjoy Peruvian papas rellenas, deep-fried potatoes stuffed with spicy meat, eggs and olives. You might eat fruits and coconuts cultivated at the ocean's edge or grains grown a mile above sea level. Your seafood could come from the Atlantic, Pacific or the Caribbean, and might include commonplace shrimp or exotic conger eel.You might eat beef from some of the world's most prized cattle, or you might eat guinea fowl (or even guinea pig). Dessert could range from familiar flans and crepes to exotic tropical fruits. And you might wash them down with a pisco sour (grape brandy with cane sugar, egg whites, lemon and a dash of Angostura bitters) or world-class wine from Argentina or Chile.
Take a tour of Chile and Peru (neighboring Ecuador is featured exclusively here), and discover the distinctive cuisine of each country; discovering along the way a revival of indigenous ingredients, served with Western-style plate presentation. Kuy or cuy (guinea pig), for instance, has made a big culinary comeback in Peru and Ecuador where it's in such demand that they're breeding a super-sized version for the dinner table. Quinoa (a seed that's used like a grain and has been a main dietary source in the Andean countries for thousands of years) is also de rigueur. Buen provecho!
Peru
Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the most diverse in the world and is on par with French, Chinese and Indian cuisine. In January 2004, The Economist said that "Peru can lay claim to one of the world's dozen or so great cuisines," while at the Fourth International Summit of Gastronomy Madrid Fusión 2006 -- regarded as the world's most important gastronomic forum -- Lima was declared the "Gastronomic Capital of the Americas."
Norman Van Aken, one of Florida's most gifted chefs, acknowledged that Peruvian cuisine was possibly the most enticing of those he had studied. And Patrick Martin, academic director of Le Cordon Bleu, said that one of the reasons why they had a branch of the school in Lima was the excellent quality of local cuisine.
The quality and variety of dishes in Peru are due in part to two main reasons. First, Peru's ecological and climatic diversity has given rise to a major supply of fresh produce, any chef's dream. In fact, a chef's only problem would be an abundance of choice.The rich Peruvian fishing grounds abound in fish and shellfish species, the heart of the succulent coastal gastronomy; rice, fowl and goat, meanwhile, are the key ingredients of Peru's north coastal cooking. In the Andes, delicious ingredients such as the potato, quinoa, sweet corn in all its varieties, plus cuy (guinea pig) and ají chili pepper are the basis of highland cooking, and are to be found across the country. The jungle adds its own touch: wild game with a side serving of fried banana and manioc root. Local fruit varieties such as chirimoya (custard apple) and lucuma produce incomparable desserts.The second reason for Peru's culinary diversity is the rich mix of Western and Eastern cultural traditions. Over the course of centuries, Peru has felt the influence of Spain in stews and soups; Arab sweets and desserts; African contributions to Creole cooking; Italian pastas; Japanese preparations of fish and shellfish; and Chinese culinary methods which have given birth to one of the most popular gastronomic traditions in Peru: chifa (Peruvian-style Chinese restaurants). Today, there are some 3,000 "chifas" in Lima. But the originality of Peru's cuisine does not stem just from its traditional cooking; rather, it continues to incorporate new influences, producing exquisite and impeccable dishes that have been dubbed the "New Peruvian Cuisine."Experiencing Peru Through its Cuisine This "land of the Incas" is the world's potato capital, with numerous varieties and colors (including purple, blue, yellow and shades of brown to pink), as well as various sizes, textures and flavors. Many dishes are served with boiled potatoes. Papas (potatoes), which played a religious role with the Incas, are made into many dishes, including: papas a la huancaina (sliced potatoes with spicy sauce and cheese), ocopa (boiled and sliced yellow potatoes covered with a sauce of walnuts, ajis and white cheese), papas rellenas (deep-fried stuffed potatoes with ground meat, eggs, olives and spices) and papas arequipena (potatoes in peanut, cheese and aji sauce). The cuisine along the north coast includes dishes such as arroz con pato (duck and rice), seco de chavelo (fish stew with roasted green bananas), cabrito con frijoles (goat and beans cooked in the fermented corn beverage "chicha de jora"), shambar (beef and bean soup) and the sudado de cangrejos (steamed crab).In Lima, meanwhile, gourmets can enjoy a wide variety of dishes that are the result of a wide range of foreign influences, as well as all the regional gastronomic variants. Three fusion dishes stand out among the many main courses: Creole ají de gallina (chicken stewed in a spicy milk, bread and hot peppers sauce); Chinese-inspired lomo saltado (sautéed beef and potatoes with hot peppers and soy sauce); and African tacu-tacu (a mouth-watering dish that uses rice and leftover beans, and is usually served with fried eggs and bananas). Another local specialty usually served as appetizer is causa, a cold pie of mashed potatoes, spiced with hot peppers and filled with seafood. The areas surrounding the Pacific Ocean, the Amazon River and Lake Titicaca have abundant seafood and turtles. In fact, no experience in Lima -- or any other coastal city -- is complete without ceviche: raw fish or shellfish diced in small cubes and marinated in lime juice and hot chili peppers, served with raw onions, sweet potato and corn. Ceviche (or cebiche), Peru's flagship dish, is the epitome of fusion: Inca hot peppers, Spanish limes and onions, and the Japanese approach to preparing fish. Peruvian Ceviche comes with many different flavor variations, served with boiled potato, sweet potato or cancha (toasted corn kernels). Ceviche de conchas negras (black clams), ceviche de Huachinango (with red snapper and ajis), and mixed seafood ceviches are popular. Tiradito is a subtler, younger version of ceviche without onions and with fish cut similar to sashimi. Highland cooking maintains a pagan relationship with the earth, a notion that is ever present in all the local celebrations. The most typical Andean dish is the pachamanca, which is cooked in a hole in the ground over hot stones. Ingredients include green beans, potatoes, corn and several types of meat seasoned with herbs and spices. The food served in the jungle has a lot to do with man's harmonious relationship with nature. Recipes such as the juane (chicken and rice tamale), inchi capi (chicken served with peanuts and toasted corn) and tacacho de platanos a la brasa (barbecued bananas) are a delight, surprising the uninitiated with their ingredients. The local game is also unusual: sajino en cecina (wild boar), lomo saltado de majado and apichado de gallina de monte (wildfowl) are just some of the magical specialties of the jungle and Peru's cooking in general.For dessert, Suspiro de Limeña (Sigh of a Lima Woman) is the most classic among Criollo desserts. It's a sweet milk caramel topped with meringue, and flavored with cinnamon and port wine. Actually, many coastal desserts have caramel (or manjar blanco) as their main ingredient. Such is the case of Arroz con Leche, a rice and caramel pudding, and alfajores, two soft round cookies filled with manjar blanco. Similarly, cinnamon gives flavor to a large number of Peruvian desserts.
Recipe Corner Peruvian Recipe:
Cauche de Camarones Peruvian-style fondue with shrimp and yellow potatoes.
Serves 4.
This award-winning recipe was provided by Chef Alcario Callyahua at Sol de Mayo, the oldest picantería in Arequipa.
Ingredients:
8 ounces small yellow potatoes (Yukon gold, for example)
2/3 cup chopped onion
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt to taste
8 ounces cleaned shrimp
1 pound melting cheese, shredded*
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Preparation: Peel and boil potatoes. Cut in half when cooked, and set aside. Sauté onion in butter until limp. Add tomato sauce and cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens and the bottom of the pan can be seen when a spoon is drawn across it. Put oil and salt in a frying pan and fry shrimp. Set aside. Add cheese, evaporated milk and salt to the tomato mixture. Bring to a boil and continue cooking until cheese is completely melted, stirring frequently. Add potatoes and shrimp. Serve hot in individual bowls, garnished with parsley.*Some melting cheeses available at many Latino and specialty food markets are queso quesadilla and queso asadero. Although commonly found at these markets, queso fresco is not a melting cheese.
Recipe courtesy of Joan Peterson and Brook Soltvedt, authors of the indispensable Eat Smart in Peru: How to Decipher the Menu, Know the Market Foods & Embark on a Tasting Adventure (Ginkgo Press).
here.Comments? kmontalvo@gourmetretailer.com
The Flavors of Chile and Peru (excerpt)
June 2, 2008
-By Kristin V. Montalvo
South America, stretching from Venezuela down to Chile's Cape Horn, is a vast continent with contrasting landscapes, climates, people and cultures. An extensive cross section of ethnic backgrounds influences each country's foods. And although a common thread of ingredients runs throughout these Latin American "foodways," each country's cuisine differs based on its culture and geography. Depending on where you live, you might savor the clean, cool taste of an Ecuadorian ceviche of mixed seafood "cooked" in the tart juice of the Seville orange, mixed with hot chiles and accompanied by toasted corn. Or enjoy Peruvian papas rellenas, deep-fried potatoes stuffed with spicy meat, eggs and olives. You might eat fruits and coconuts cultivated at the ocean's edge or grains grown a mile above sea level. Your seafood could come from the Atlantic, Pacific or the Caribbean, and might include commonplace shrimp or exotic conger eel.You might eat beef from some of the world's most prized cattle, or you might eat guinea fowl (or even guinea pig). Dessert could range from familiar flans and crepes to exotic tropical fruits. And you might wash them down with a pisco sour (grape brandy with cane sugar, egg whites, lemon and a dash of Angostura bitters) or world-class wine from Argentina or Chile.
Take a tour of Chile and Peru (neighboring Ecuador is featured exclusively here), and discover the distinctive cuisine of each country; discovering along the way a revival of indigenous ingredients, served with Western-style plate presentation. Kuy or cuy (guinea pig), for instance, has made a big culinary comeback in Peru and Ecuador where it's in such demand that they're breeding a super-sized version for the dinner table. Quinoa (a seed that's used like a grain and has been a main dietary source in the Andean countries for thousands of years) is also de rigueur. Buen provecho!
Peru
Peruvian cuisine is considered one of the most diverse in the world and is on par with French, Chinese and Indian cuisine. In January 2004, The Economist said that "Peru can lay claim to one of the world's dozen or so great cuisines," while at the Fourth International Summit of Gastronomy Madrid Fusión 2006 -- regarded as the world's most important gastronomic forum -- Lima was declared the "Gastronomic Capital of the Americas."
Norman Van Aken, one of Florida's most gifted chefs, acknowledged that Peruvian cuisine was possibly the most enticing of those he had studied. And Patrick Martin, academic director of Le Cordon Bleu, said that one of the reasons why they had a branch of the school in Lima was the excellent quality of local cuisine.
The quality and variety of dishes in Peru are due in part to two main reasons. First, Peru's ecological and climatic diversity has given rise to a major supply of fresh produce, any chef's dream. In fact, a chef's only problem would be an abundance of choice.The rich Peruvian fishing grounds abound in fish and shellfish species, the heart of the succulent coastal gastronomy; rice, fowl and goat, meanwhile, are the key ingredients of Peru's north coastal cooking. In the Andes, delicious ingredients such as the potato, quinoa, sweet corn in all its varieties, plus cuy (guinea pig) and ají chili pepper are the basis of highland cooking, and are to be found across the country. The jungle adds its own touch: wild game with a side serving of fried banana and manioc root. Local fruit varieties such as chirimoya (custard apple) and lucuma produce incomparable desserts.The second reason for Peru's culinary diversity is the rich mix of Western and Eastern cultural traditions. Over the course of centuries, Peru has felt the influence of Spain in stews and soups; Arab sweets and desserts; African contributions to Creole cooking; Italian pastas; Japanese preparations of fish and shellfish; and Chinese culinary methods which have given birth to one of the most popular gastronomic traditions in Peru: chifa (Peruvian-style Chinese restaurants). Today, there are some 3,000 "chifas" in Lima. But the originality of Peru's cuisine does not stem just from its traditional cooking; rather, it continues to incorporate new influences, producing exquisite and impeccable dishes that have been dubbed the "New Peruvian Cuisine."Experiencing Peru Through its Cuisine This "land of the Incas" is the world's potato capital, with numerous varieties and colors (including purple, blue, yellow and shades of brown to pink), as well as various sizes, textures and flavors. Many dishes are served with boiled potatoes. Papas (potatoes), which played a religious role with the Incas, are made into many dishes, including: papas a la huancaina (sliced potatoes with spicy sauce and cheese), ocopa (boiled and sliced yellow potatoes covered with a sauce of walnuts, ajis and white cheese), papas rellenas (deep-fried stuffed potatoes with ground meat, eggs, olives and spices) and papas arequipena (potatoes in peanut, cheese and aji sauce). The cuisine along the north coast includes dishes such as arroz con pato (duck and rice), seco de chavelo (fish stew with roasted green bananas), cabrito con frijoles (goat and beans cooked in the fermented corn beverage "chicha de jora"), shambar (beef and bean soup) and the sudado de cangrejos (steamed crab).In Lima, meanwhile, gourmets can enjoy a wide variety of dishes that are the result of a wide range of foreign influences, as well as all the regional gastronomic variants. Three fusion dishes stand out among the many main courses: Creole ají de gallina (chicken stewed in a spicy milk, bread and hot peppers sauce); Chinese-inspired lomo saltado (sautéed beef and potatoes with hot peppers and soy sauce); and African tacu-tacu (a mouth-watering dish that uses rice and leftover beans, and is usually served with fried eggs and bananas). Another local specialty usually served as appetizer is causa, a cold pie of mashed potatoes, spiced with hot peppers and filled with seafood. The areas surrounding the Pacific Ocean, the Amazon River and Lake Titicaca have abundant seafood and turtles. In fact, no experience in Lima -- or any other coastal city -- is complete without ceviche: raw fish or shellfish diced in small cubes and marinated in lime juice and hot chili peppers, served with raw onions, sweet potato and corn. Ceviche (or cebiche), Peru's flagship dish, is the epitome of fusion: Inca hot peppers, Spanish limes and onions, and the Japanese approach to preparing fish. Peruvian Ceviche comes with many different flavor variations, served with boiled potato, sweet potato or cancha (toasted corn kernels). Ceviche de conchas negras (black clams), ceviche de Huachinango (with red snapper and ajis), and mixed seafood ceviches are popular. Tiradito is a subtler, younger version of ceviche without onions and with fish cut similar to sashimi. Highland cooking maintains a pagan relationship with the earth, a notion that is ever present in all the local celebrations. The most typical Andean dish is the pachamanca, which is cooked in a hole in the ground over hot stones. Ingredients include green beans, potatoes, corn and several types of meat seasoned with herbs and spices. The food served in the jungle has a lot to do with man's harmonious relationship with nature. Recipes such as the juane (chicken and rice tamale), inchi capi (chicken served with peanuts and toasted corn) and tacacho de platanos a la brasa (barbecued bananas) are a delight, surprising the uninitiated with their ingredients. The local game is also unusual: sajino en cecina (wild boar), lomo saltado de majado and apichado de gallina de monte (wildfowl) are just some of the magical specialties of the jungle and Peru's cooking in general.For dessert, Suspiro de Limeña (Sigh of a Lima Woman) is the most classic among Criollo desserts. It's a sweet milk caramel topped with meringue, and flavored with cinnamon and port wine. Actually, many coastal desserts have caramel (or manjar blanco) as their main ingredient. Such is the case of Arroz con Leche, a rice and caramel pudding, and alfajores, two soft round cookies filled with manjar blanco. Similarly, cinnamon gives flavor to a large number of Peruvian desserts.
Recipe Corner Peruvian Recipe:
Cauche de Camarones Peruvian-style fondue with shrimp and yellow potatoes.
Serves 4.
This award-winning recipe was provided by Chef Alcario Callyahua at Sol de Mayo, the oldest picantería in Arequipa.
Ingredients:
8 ounces small yellow potatoes (Yukon gold, for example)
2/3 cup chopped onion
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt to taste
8 ounces cleaned shrimp
1 pound melting cheese, shredded*
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Preparation: Peel and boil potatoes. Cut in half when cooked, and set aside. Sauté onion in butter until limp. Add tomato sauce and cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens and the bottom of the pan can be seen when a spoon is drawn across it. Put oil and salt in a frying pan and fry shrimp. Set aside. Add cheese, evaporated milk and salt to the tomato mixture. Bring to a boil and continue cooking until cheese is completely melted, stirring frequently. Add potatoes and shrimp. Serve hot in individual bowls, garnished with parsley.*Some melting cheeses available at many Latino and specialty food markets are queso quesadilla and queso asadero. Although commonly found at these markets, queso fresco is not a melting cheese.
Recipe courtesy of Joan Peterson and Brook Soltvedt, authors of the indispensable Eat Smart in Peru: How to Decipher the Menu, Know the Market Foods & Embark on a Tasting Adventure (Ginkgo Press).
here.Comments? kmontalvo@gourmetretailer.com
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